What Is Not So Evil And What Is Not So Good
by Coures
Summary: What if the mayor wasn't really the evil queen. And what if Snow White wasn't as Henry's book depicted. Will the people of Storybrooke survive the disaster of the curse... spell... breaking?
1. The Storybook Lied

**AN: I don't know if I can finish this story. I've never finished anything in my life. ._. So I'm apologizing for the high chance of me not finishing this in advance.**

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Hearing a shout from a distance Henry and Emma took their eyes away from the couple a few feet away from them. A disheveled mayor ran through the scattered milling bystanders, walking up and down the streets, desperate to stop what was happening. Her eyes set on a man and a woman standing close as if to kiss.

But it was too late. It was too late.

Her limbs were not reacting fast enough, her body sluggishly moving in slow motion. Everything she did felt as if it was too slow.

Panting heavily, the mayor stopped when she reached the two people who were the very catalyst that began breaking her curse. Her panicked gaze never left the couple too far from her reach. It was too late. She was too late.

Shock, disbelief, pain, and a few other emotions ran rampant on her face. Her breathing not ceasing its labored pace she let it freeze inside her chest and released it in one tired sigh; as if trying to be rid of the burdens of the world, but just won't stop digging its claws on your soul.

Settling her expression to horror, then to acceptance, and finally to disappointment, a few words slipped passed her red lips, "What have you done…"

She knew it wouldn't last. She knew that she couldn't hold on to them forever, but can't let it go. The mayor was tired and defeated, but she hoped that one of the two people who believed so strongly about this curse wouldn't be crushed later on.

The boy thinking that the uttered words were the evil queen conceding defeat turned ecstatic. The curse was finally releasing its victims from its evil clutches. They were finally getting their happy ending, their perfect family, returning to the land of magic and enchanting fantasy. The blonde sheriff next to him slumped her shoulders in relief to the end of her quest. As the reality of the situation was confirmed upon the mayor's words they both spun to fix their eyes to the golden couple; one eager and one curious.

Arms encircled each other lovingly.

Two lips touched in a gentle kiss.

The man and the woman finally sealing the end of the long standstill in time.

The sound of a sonic boom was heard and a steady pulse spread in a wide circumference through the sleepy town of Storybrooke, Maine.

The mayor, knowing she'd failed, shifted her sights from the couple to the boy.

Her son. Ten years she'd spent with him, not knowing. Not knowing that the blood in his veins and the magic he did not know in his heart was shared with her. The shattered pieces, floating down her body, of the magic spell being broken gave her the knowledge she has lost.

She stood behind her little boy as a tear of elation and a happiness she never felt fully slipped down her cheek. Under the twenty eight years of being trapped and frozen inside the shell of herself she didn't hope to ever feel this way again.

The soul she kept inside released from its prison and began to run tingles from the tips of her fingers down to the soles of her feet. Kindness sparkled and shown brightly through her eyes, the hard expression of her face softening. A genteel air flowing from the depths of her being. Her stance, once rigid and unapproachable, becoming light and almost floating, but steadily strong. Recognition of the body's royal blood enhancing her aura's nobility and strength.

She's changing.

Sprinkles of bright yellow light leisurely rained down the citizens all over the town, phasing over buildings and roofs and ceilings.

Everyone's changing.

The yellow light touched and spread through everyone.

The woman dressed in short skirts and revealing top who's serving food. The man sitting on a leather chair with his dog barking enthusiastically, a drunkard, a nun.

Everyone.

The man and the woman who only seconds before shared a kiss.

Shifting her gaze to the couple, she could already see it as the pixie haired woman flickered her eyes open immediately in revelation. The manic glee and the hysterical obsession starting to run chills up and down her spine. Her lips still pressed to the man, not many could know what was forming on the woman's face. She knew though. She imagines the creepily disturbing smirk upon her cherubic face making her expression turn into one of madness.

She hopes that, at the least, the woman would not make the man she is kissing to make a scene surrounded as they were by the innocent lives scattering the streets. She could only hope.

Everyone is changing.

But as the mayor glanced at her son, she knew one thing that will never change.

Even with the grim circumstances that have already begun to befall them.

She will always protect her son.

She will always love her son.

And there was nothing that can ever change that.

Knowing not to keep her sights from the dangerous woman and her monster, she quickly turned back to the couple.

The mayor jerked and her eyes widened.

Snow White was still locked in a frozen kiss, but her eyes.

Her eyes were set on Regina.

Regina's body tensed as she stared warily at the narrowing of Snow's crazed eyes and the widening smirk she knew would be there.

She should not be showing how afraid she was of this woman, but when Snow slowly moved her eye to Henry, she couldn't help clenching her jaw in fear nor could she help her heart to stop its frantic beating.

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_"I will always find you, my son." the white witch whispered._


	2. Pranking Gone Mad

**AN: Jesus, I got some kind of writers ocd or something. I keep rereading to check for mistakes instead of writing the next chapter.**

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Regina could see the anticipation on her son, bordering just beneath his body ready to burst. As the couple broke away from the kiss, Henry grinned excitedly. She saw Snow's mind click as the woman kept her eyes on her son.

The moment Snow's face formed into a smile and spread her arms wide asking for a hug, the boy's body bolted to her.

Well, he would have if Regina didn't anxiously seized the back of his dark jacket.

Snow took her eyes off of the excited boy who turned to frown at his mother. She glanced up at the mayor and gave her a sinister grin, then changed her expression to horror. She gasped, her hands going to her mouth. Henry turned once again to Snow.

"Run, Henry! She's the evil queen. She's trying to manipulate you into turning to the dark side!"

Henry's eyes widened, took one look at Regina, and wrenched away from his mother's grasp. He ran leaving both of his mothers and the couple behind.

"Henry!" Emma quickly followed after him, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

Her eyes glared at the mayor, irritated. Regina did not see the sheriff's expression though. She only had eyes on the innocent looking school teacher and the man next to her.

The mayor's jaw tensed as she glimpse David start to open his eyes; his face blank and his eyes glazed.

"Protect my son, Ms. Swan." Regina tightened her grip on Emma's arm. "Find him and don't let him out of your sight. Do not. Trust. Anyone."

"Anyone?" Emma frowned, "Does that mean you too?"

Regina took her eyes away from Mary Margaret and David to look at Emma. The sheriff had to blink at the seriousness of her face.

"Anyone."

Emma kept her green gaze locked with the mayor. After a moment, the sheriff nodded having understood.

Regina released Emma's arm to catch up to her son. The mayor settled back relieved her son had someone that would look after him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long till she tensed back up again.

"Madame Mayor." Mary Margaret's voice chimed in mockery.

"Snow," Regina turned to face the school teacher.

"Witch," Snow grinned widely in a disturbing manner. "Or maybe I should call you 'bitch' now? You have been rather bitchy here for twenty eight years. Had lots of fun over your power trip, huh."

"Well, Snow, it wasn't a total nightmare. You're not as crazy here as you were back in our land." Regina raised dark brows, "In fact, I was having the time of my life seeing you beyond your fog of madness you drown yourself into."

"I'm not crazy," Snow sniffed. "and the spell made me that way."

"Or maybe… Deep, deep down inside your very insane soul," Regina smiled, "you're actually innocently naïve."

"That would just make you so happy, won't it?" Snow said with a childlike voice.

"I guess it's just too much to hope. You can never be anything, but a deranged lunatic."

Snow's eye twitched, "I'm not crazy."

"Yes, and I'm not the mayor of a town full of people stuck in a time freeze." Regina scoffed.

"I said I'm not crazy!" Snow turned to David, "David, do you think I'm crazy?"

David only kept on standing in place, his face blank. He appeared to have turned into a living statue, though from the lack of chest movements, 'living' may as well not be mentioned.

"What's that, David?" Snow leaned on David's arm, "No, I'm not crazy?"

Snow nodded her head approvingly then turned back to Regina, "See! He doesn't think I'm crazy. That's a two to one in opinions so yours is now invalid."

"If that doesn't account you for being crazy then maybe you should check yourself to a specialist that knows what they're talking about."

"You mean Archie?" Snow chuckled and patted David's arm, "That's so funny, isn't it David."

Regina said nothing as Snow laughed.

"Isn't Archie that-that cricket you're always with?" Snow wiped her tears on David's shirt sleeve, "He's a stupid bug! What does he know?"

"He's more than a cricket," Regina stated, "and he's a better help for you than a toy zombie who knows nothing more than stare into space."

Snow scowled then grinned manically, "I don't care about anything you say, witch. David though, David doesn't like you talking to him that way. Don't you David?

Snow giggled and raised her hand to snap her fingers.

"David," Snow turned to the frozen man, "Beat her up some, will you please?"

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"Kid!" Emma yelled out, "Hey, Henry! Where you going?"

Emma found Henry walking the streets cautiously watching out for something.

The boy, having heard call, stopped to spin at the direction of Emma's voice.

"Emma!"

He waited for Emma to catch up to him.

"Where are you going?" Emma jogged to a stop in front of Henry.

"I'm going home to get my book." Henry started his walk home again.

"Oh, why?" Emma asked as she followed beside her son.

"We have to help Snow White and Prince Charming vanquish the Evil Queen now!" Henry paused next to a light post. "Emma, you believe the curse now right?"

"Ugh, yeah, sure." Emma said to appease the boy.

Henry began to ramble on and on about his theory and missions and the sheriff sighed inwardly.

She thought that this fairy tale thing would have been over by now.

She was so tired of fighting Regina.

After all the events that have been happening, Emma thought that if she could show Henry that Mary Margaret and David kissing won't break any kind of curse he'll finally give up with the evil queen thing. Then they'd live happily ever after and she'd have one less major problem to think about.

Emma, while pretending to go through the large pile of paperwork the mayor happily showered her with, thought of her own grand plan. Operation True Love Kiss. She wasn't one for doing these kinds of things, but if she were to name this mission it would be exactly that.

The steps were quite simple to work with:

Get Mary Margaret to agree kissing her lover who she's having a not-so-secret affair with.

Get permission from Katherine Nolan (David Nolan's wife) to borrow her husband for an acting job and get him to pretend a peck on the lips with Mary Margaret.

Get David Nolan to agree kissing his lover who he's having a not-so-secret affair with.

Invite Henry on a friendly walk (With permission from his adopted mother of course) and 'accidentally' stumble upon Mary Margaret kissing David Nolan in front of the animal shelter.

All those steps weren't too difficult to do.

So she set the two up, got Henry for an early morning stroll through town, and shit happened.

She was so relieved in finally ending this feud with Regina, but no… other shit happened.

Regina wasn't supposed to be following them and having a major freak out about two people kissing.

Mary Margaret wasn't supposed to keep pretending after the kiss.

She wasn't supposed to be making Henry keep believing in his fairy tales.

And she most definitely wasn't supposed to be getting a rise out of the mayor by making Henry freak out about his evil queen theories.

She did not know what was going on and everything was making her confused.

One big ass clusterfuck of confusion.

There was one thing that made her highly uncomfortable though. It was how Regina eyed Mary Margaret and David at the end. Wary and cautious and a little bit scared. Like the two were something to be afraid of.

She really did not know what was happening.

Did she lose a memo on some kind of continuation party or was she getting 'Punked' by Katherine for making her hubby kiss Mary Margaret?

She was sure Regina would have hinted something like that to her and went in on the prank.

Fuck this, now that she's thought about it, she was pretty sure that that was what's going on.

The three of them were acting quite well though. Almost like they really were different people after Mary Margaret and David kissed.

Like the curse was actually real. Had to give them a lot of credit for that.

Emma would have laughed so much at that if Henry weren't shaking her arm off.

"Emma! We should get the book now." Henry frowned, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded, "Getting the book right?"

"Okay, in case you weren't listening, here's the plan." Henry pulled on Emma's arm to get her walking, "We go back to get my book."

"Ahuh," Emma replied.

"Then we try to find out if there's something there that can help us break the curse further and get Snow White and Prince Charming's happy endings and you'll get your parents back."

"Hey, wait. Kid," Emma paused in their slow walk, "Isn't the curse already broken? Mary Margaret and David kissed just minutes ago."

"No, it's not broken." Henry and there was no mistaking the invisible 'duh' in the air, "If we broke the curse we would be in Fairy Tale Land now."

"Ahuh," Emma tentatively nodded.

"Emma, were you telling the truth when you said you believe that the curse is real?" Henry frowned suspiciously.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. I believe you, kid." Emma nodded more convincingly, but not really. "Really. I'm sure."

Henry narrowed his eyes at her, "Okay… Anyway, now that Granma and Gramps remember, we just have to help them get rid of the evil queen."

"Granma and Gramps?"

"Yeah, since they're your parents and you're my mom! I explained that to you before."

"Right. Forgot about that for a moment." Emma grimaced and sighed inwardly once again.

"Miss Swan?"

Emma and Henry spun to find Mr. Gold walking briskly up to them.

He was wearing his usual finely tailored suit and wooden cane, but his limp was a bit less pronounced, Emma thought.

Unusually, he also had two swords strapped to his waist. His posture and stance were different too. The way he carried himself was familiar. She'd seen it somewhere before. Like that of an army man she met at the bar, she remembers.

Mr. Gold was walking like a soldier.

"Miss Swan," Mr. Gold stopped walking before them, "May I ask if you'd seen Mayor Mills around?"

Emma eyed the weapons warily and pushed Henry behind her, "Why?"

"It is of utmost importance, sheriff." Mr. Gold grimaced, "I don't have time to explain."

"I don't know," Emma shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea when you're dressed looking like some medieval knight running around to slay dragons."

Emma nodded to the two weapons, "Specially with that. Unless those are toys, I'm not saying anything."

"If you must know, Miss Swan," Mr. Gold gripped his cane tighter in impatience. "The last time I was with Regina, with my memories intact I mean, I was lying on the ground with my leg mangled broken, helpless as I watched my queen die and her daughter being hovered over by a mindless brute ready to be beaten to death."

Mr. Gold stared at Emma fiercely, "I do not want to waste my time standing here and leaving my last and only charge without the safety of my sword and my protection. So if you've not seen her, merely say so and I will go look for her elsewhere."

Emma clenched her jaw. Regina is reaching high as fuck for this pretend party.

"Who are you? Regina told me not to trust anyone." Emma said finally.

Mr. Gold straightened his back, more if it wasn't so straight already. His feet spread apart and he leaned on his cane held between them like a sword.

"General Rumple Stiltskin of Castle Twine in Land Meridan. I am in charge of the Red Army and the head of the High Guard who protects the Wiccan bloodline of Meridan."

This was bordering on obsessive pranking. Damn if she weren't confused before, she was more so now.

"You're a general?" Henry pushed past behind Emma.

Rumple look down at the boy, "Yes."

"That's not right!" Henry scrunched his face, "Y-you're trying to trick us!"

Rumple frowned, "I assure you, Henry, I am not trying to trick you."

He looked back at Emma, "Miss Swan-"

"No!" Henry yelled cutting him off, "He's lying, Emma! He's supposed to be the Dark One! He taught the evil queen magic!"

"Magic?" Rumple's frown worsened, "Although I've lived in Meridan my whole life, I am a human. I have no magic."

"Henry-" Emma tried to calm Henry with a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Emma!"

Henry jerked away, desperate to convince his mother - and maybe himself, Emma thought - that his information was right.

"Snow said she was the evil queen. You saw and heard just as I did when she said so earlier!"

Emma was about to reply when she was roughly yanked sideward by her jacket.

"Where is she?" Rumple growled.

Henry gasped and stepped back surprised. He worriedly eyed both of them.

The blonde struggled from the surprisingly strong grip on her jacket. She didn't think that the lanky pawnshop owner had the time to work out. She barely saw him outside his dusty old shop.

Seeing the frightened boy in his periphery, Rumple tried to relax his body with no success. The thought of that deranged lunatic within a few feet of his charge had his body tensing and his heart beat too erratically for him to calm down.

"I will let you go when you tell me where Regina is."

"She's only with Mary Margaret and David." Emma glared at the old man, "Why are you freaking out so badly?"

"They're dangerous!" Rumple hissed.

"A school teacher and a guy who works for an animal shelter?" Emma scoffed, "Yeah, right."

"E-emma." Henry switched his worried gaze between them, uncertain if he should help his mother.

Mr. Gold had thrown away his cane. He was now gripping the hilt of one of his swords with the hand that wasn't holding Emma. It was still unsheathed, but Mr. Gold was gripping the one nearest to Henry. The other sword was partially hidden to him by the mailbox the old man was standing next to.

"Tell me where they are, sheriff." Rumple asked his eyes slightly pleading.

Emma was still a bit hesitant about setting a man with swords loose on Regina, but seeing the pleading look and Henry frightened made her grudgingly tell.

"We were in front of the animal shelter. It's just around the corner."

Emma didn't even finish her directions before Mr. Gold was off running. He was limping as he ran, but he never went back to pick up his cane.

The sheriff turned to look at Henry, "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded. He stepped closer to the blonde, "Do you think we should go back there too?"

"Are you worried about your mom?

"No!" Henry pouted, "I-I just thought that maybe something cool would happen."

Emma raised a brow at the pout and the stutter then turned to walk back to the direction of the animal shelter.

"Okay. Let's take a peek at the corner, yeah?"

"Okay."

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**And note to guest since I'm still here obsessively checking my chapter when you reviewed: Yes, you can kick Henry in the junk, but it won't stop him from being a dick.**


	3. Of Black and Red Born

**AN: I didn't think people would dislike Henry that much. He's going to be stubbornly in denial in a lot more chapters; because of outside influence and because he's just a kid who refuses to believe he's wrong.**

**Also, I don't have a Beta thingy so mistakes are mine and crap. Tell me if there's anything wrong please. I'm not rereading this 5k worded chapter like my last one. Okay, maybe I have reread it already, but I can't stop my OCD and I can't help but worry that there's some mistake there… Somewhere… You know where you are, I will find you!**

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Short green grass leaned towards the north as a gust of wind dried it of its lingering dew. The morning leisurely took its time to wake up. The sun barely hinted its presence from its place between two large lumps of land. Mountains braced themselves as they shouldered the weight of the sunrise. The trees and other undergrowths rustled its leaves to the wind and the sun's rays of the breaking dawn touched its light upon the earth.

Red and black armor glinted. Steel plates, shields, chainmail, and weapons reflected the early light of dawn.

An army of over three hundred black and red soldiers littered the sun kissed field. The wide open space being invaded by marching heavy boots and the stomps of hooves. A loud clattering could be heard as metal armor matched the movements of its host. The snorts and whinnies of horses reverberated as cavalry led their beasts towards the field of battle. The soldiers formed into two separate groups across each other.

Banners were raised, carried by knights on horse back. One of the banners waved against the air. It was dyed in black depicting the royal crest of a white spade crossed by two arrows in its fabric. Another banner was a plain white. Red colored its border and a burning heart represented.

A figure sat on horseback behind the safety of trees to watch the blood shed. The grim faced observer strained the reigns of her horse. She did not wear armor, only a light dress of red and white. She was mounted on a tan mare with a black mane. A frown of concern was on her face. Her banner lay by her side being tousled by the wind; a golden crown upon red cloth. She looked down at her people from atop a hill as the start of the battle began.

A horn blew and it sounded through out the field. The leading red knight roared a battle cry. He pointed his sword as an order to his men to charge the enemy. An echo of the man's roar let out from their black opposition. The two armies both marched to follow their own formations, but both had the same line. Wide Shielded Spearmen first – reds' shields were shaped like a rectangle and blacks' shaped as wide ovals. Basic infantry – swordsmen, axe weilders, etc. – were in the second line. Cavalry was in third and Archers last.

Archers and bowmen stood their ground from the back as they waited for the right moment their bows and arrows could be most useful. The instant their opposing sides were within their range, a shout bellowed through the black army.

"Bows ready!"

One by one, black archers dipped their arrows carefully in a tiny satchel of liquid by their side and placed them on their bows at the ready. "Release!"

The black archers aimed their bows high and let the arrows rain towards the red armored men. Hearing the cry from afar, the red leader motioned for the shields to go up. "Defense!"

Shields rose to protect bodies, but there were few openings where red soldiers were hit. Cries rang as the arrows hit their marks, but none seemed to be mortally wounded. At the end of the arrow shower, the leading knight ordered for them to continue marching. A swordsman that was hit on a gap on his shoulder pad broke its stem and made to step forwards. Dizziness clouded his vision within seconds and he hurled his stomach on an axe wielder next to him.

"General!" a shout cried out.

The leading knight barely turned before the men who were hit by arrows dropped down fainted. He jumped down from his horse and crouched to grab one of the unbroken arrows that hit the ground. He studied the black arrow tip and glimpsed drops of purple liquid remaining.

"Poison." He stood and held a spearman by the shoulder, "Careful with the enemy's weapons. They've brought poison with them. Sound it off."

Warnings were passed through and the general hopped to his war horse.

"Ready!" another shout rose from the black side.

"Protect yourselves better, men!" the red general warned, "DEFENSE!"

"Release!" The twang of bow strings and the whiz of feathered arrows could be heard and shields went up once more.

While the arrows landed on protective shields, a command hurried through the blacks, "RUSH IN!" The black infantry roared and ran to seize the red army.

Arrows ceased their rain on the reds and the general recovered from his guarded state and instantly issued a command. "Crossbows! Prepare!" The bowmen hastily moved forward till they were second in line behind the shielded spearmen.

Blacks were charging to them yards away when the red general waved his hand.

Red spearmen kneeled to the ground, hiding behind their tall shields. The bowmen behind them had a clear line of sight from where they were standing. They shot their arrows in rapid fire and unguarded black soldiers started to fall from the attack.

"SHIELDS!"

The black soldiers stopped in their tracks to raise their shields in front of them. The red general knew this to happen and waved his arm to issue another order. "Aim high!"

The bowmen changed the point of their aim and hit the sky. Arrows flew up only to fall back down on black armored men. Confused at the sudden change of attack, the black soldiers scrambled their shields over their heads. Black bodies have started to litter the grass floor, but they were not to be overdone. With an ordered cry from the black commander, the line of black infantry scattered to make way for their trampling cavalry. Horses burst from the soldiers and knights sat upon them threw long javelins that hit the vulnerable bowmen. The red shields tried to recover their guard, but black mighty steeds rammed themselves through the guard.

Right then and there the close combat started. Black knights were pulled from their mounts as the rest of the black soldiers charged to follow them. Red and black soldier blended as one. The two groups fought with a viciousness to emerge as the winner at the end.

Adrenaline rushed through each soldier fighting for their lives and kingdom. Half an hour broke. Then turned to add another. The bright golden sun high in the sky was being speckled by grumbling gray clouds. The light dwindled until only dark gray spread above them. A sprinkle of water hit the fighters; red and black.

The red general pulled on his horse's reigns as he speared through a black archer carrying a knife. Raindrops poured down his red armor and flowed down his weapon. There were cuts on his arms and the more he attained the more muddled his brain turned. His stomach churned strangely and he was surprised that he hadn't lost his meal yet.

Taking a quick survey of the battle grounds, he could see that most of his men were as ill as him. Damn those poisonous black bastards, he thought. Their numbers were falling rapidly because of their biological weapon. He needed to think of a way to end this battle fast or face death along with his army.

"Fred!" the red general called out to one of the red swordsmen near him.

Fred looked up from his sword's fresh kill and tried to get to the red general safely. He dodged his way around a couple of fighting men and stood beside the man atop a horse. The red general jumped off of the brown stallion and gave the reigns to his soldier.

"Fred, fetch the witches and wizards." said the man grimly.

"Yes, General Stiltskin!" Fred hopped on the horse's saddle, "Be safe, sir!"

"And to you, lad." the red general slapped his gloved hand on the horse's rump and watched as Fred rode towards a grove of trees in the distance.

General Stiltskin dropped his long spear and returned to battle with his two-handed sword. For thirty minutes his men fell to half its original number. The poison was working its way through all of their veins. The rain had gotten rid of some of the poison on the enemy's weapons, but smears had still lingered. His men would not be able to defend themselves if this went on for much longer.

The sound of more horses was heard and the red general turned to face its direction. The sight of five people on horseback made the hope inside of him flare. He called out a command to the red armored soldiers he could see. They nodded and started to pick up the rectangle shields that had fallen on the bloodied grass. As the five men and women on horseback arrived at the edge of the battle, Stiltskin pushed his way to them. One of the women dropped off of her horse and faced the red general.

"We can use the storm!" the woman yelled through rain plastered hair.

"Right," Stiltskin nodded, "How long till you can complete the spell?"

A young man walked next to the old woman, reigns of his horse in hand, "We can do it fast, but you need to get your men out of the way."

"Leave it to me." Stiltskin turned and jumped into the skirmish one more time.

He began passing whispered orders to every red soldier he neared. Every man that listened dropped to either get a shield or help the wounded. As the minutes went, he finally dragged himself back towards the five people. He saw the witches and wizards gathering in a semi circle and called out through the battle field, "Make way, men!"

The army of blood colored men hurriedly parted in the middle like the red sea. The majority of the red knights were now forming in two parallel straight lines. Some were still scattered in the middle, stuck in battle. Others are left to the grounds too consumed by the pain of their injuries.

The black infantry stayed standing between the red parallel to engrossed at fighting to notice the changes in their opposition's battle formation. A few black swordsmen stood confused and wary, but stayed with their fellow soldiers.

A bannered black knight fell upon his horse as a red lancer stabbed his stead. The crooked lance he carried twisted and the horse died with a whinny. The black knight scrambled from the red tainted grass and somewhat fixed his black armor. It was slightly different than that of the normal black armored men. Its plated mail had an engraved black spade like that of the royal banner. He swung the sword still in his hand to defend himself as the lancer from before charged him. He countered with a slicing slash at the lancer. He was parried by the long weapon, but the red soldier was pushed to the side. The black knight moved to end the fight with a forward pierce. His steel sword stabbed beneath a small gap between the lancer's red armor. The lancer fell and blood gushed through a fatal wound to the side.

The black knight fought off more red infantry. Most of them held up swords, but the spears, pikes, and lances the red carried could rival their numbers. It was not sound strategy to bring so many lengthy weapons in close combat, but the black knight could only count himself lucky that their enemy had one more flaw to take advantage of.

"Close them in!" another order was bellowed to the reds.

Red armored soldiers let out a loud roar and began charging their enemies with shields. They pushed until only ones with black armor are in the middle. The black soldiers grunted and stumbled back from the shield bumps. A few of the blacks were knocked to the ground. There were black soldiers who were surprised with the unusual tactic, but were readily getting up again to stand ground and fight.

The black knight stood panting like the rest of the black armored men. He twisted his head left and right, unaware of what was about to happen. He charged another enemy, knowing that thinking right now may cause more bad than good. He pierced and sliced the reds forming an unmovable wall in front of him, but more reds covered the gaps. Before he could do any more damage to the wall of red armor, a red soldier slammed his shield to his body. It made him fall on his back hard. Hastily getting back on his feet he grabbed his sword and spun left and right searching for an enemy to attack. To his surprise only black armored men surrounded him. He was cautious at the sight, what in bloody hell was happening?

He calmed his breathing looking around him, though he couldn't help his gulping breaths of exhaustion. He dropped his sword arm and loosened his grip on its hilt. The black knight pushed and shoved his way opposite from the red guarded wall and he was shocked to find out that there was a similar line of red soldiers stubbornly standing on guard. He was beyond cautious now, even partly frightened.

He turned to his left and ran shoving away fellow blacks to see if they were boxed in. As expected they were squeezed into a sloppy line and trapped inside a wall of reds. The black knight heard a shrill crackling and he stood still. He raised his head just as static charged in the air above their heads. His eyes reflected the lightning striking down in a vertical line, but its descent never ceased. It struck down its power like an electric waterfall.

"TAKE COVER!"

The red shielded wall in front of him and back quickly jumped out of the way. He saw four people collecting the lightning and forming it into a ball. It was the last thing he saw as the electric charge was quickly streamed through him and the rest of the army of blacks. The black armored men went down shaking madly in the middle of a powerful strike.

As the battle ends and the sun burrowed its way out of dark clouds, the stench of scorched flesh and a mass of dead bodies was left all over the once green open field.

* * *

"Did you have to use that particular tactic to win that battle, general?"

Red robes made a swish as a woman with red hair and dark russet eyes hurriedly walked up to a man suited in blood red armor. She wore the same shade of dress robes as the man in armor that reached down to her toes with long sleeves and frills at the end. Her red hair was tied up in an intricate bun and her neck adorned by a heart-shaped necklace. Her ruby red lips were pursed in a thin line and her face creased in a slight frown that did not mar her beauty in the slightest. The woman was gripping a red wand tensely in front of her.

"My queen," The general paused mid stride to face the red haired woman. He bowed with a curled fist and two fingers to his heart, "Your majesty, I do what I must to save our people less deaths than necessary."

"You could have saved some of the wounded first!" the Red Queen walked up to face the general, "There were men who could have still been healed enough to be saved!"

"Your majesty, with all due respect for you and our knights, I doubt we would have lasted that battle without that help."

"Why? From the hills I saw-" the Red Queen was cut off by a shake of the man's head.

"From the hills, you could not have seen our soldiers heaving at the effort of carrying their swords and spears above their knees." the general interrupted, "You could not have seen the sweat and blood they have lost."

"It looked as if we were winning in the beginning."

"At the beginning, yes, but once our men came in to engage the black soldiers in close combat there was a massive shift." Rumple started to explain, "Black kingdom soldiers seem to have a much higher stamina and endurance than ours because of their harsher terrain and environment. There was also the fact that they've coated their weapons with deadly poison. Poison was rushing through our soldiers' veins with every cut they'd received from the enemy; no matter how small or wide it was. Again, with all due respect, your majesty, we could not have lasted that battle without the help."

The red queen opened her mouth as if to argue, but no words came out and she was left to close it. She kept her brown gaze locked with the general for a few moments.

A hand landed heavily on her shoulder, the general's hand.

"I know it is hard. You're bearing the burden of the lost lives of your people. Even the late king would not have known this war was to happened." the general softened his eyes and squeezed the red queen's shoulder, "but trust that I, as your general, understand the feeling, my queen. Those men are as much my responsibility as yours and I will do what is best to help save as many lives as I can."

Unable to handle the general's intense gaze, the red queen closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to hold her tears at bay. The general gave his queen time to compose herself.

"Henry. The idiot had to sacrifice himself in the ogre wars." the Red Queen grumbled. "Trying to be heroic and protect everyone from the ogres. If he was alive right now, he'd probably be in the front lines of this war with the excited glee of a child."

"That would have surely happened, my queen." the general gave an unexpected laugh then glanced up to a scout motioning for him. "Is there anything more you want to address, your majesty?"

"No, thank you." Cora shook her head, "You may go now, General Stiltskin."

"Rumple would be fine, your majesty." With one last squeeze on her shoulder and a smile, the general turned towards the direction of the scout.

"Sir Rumple!" the red queen called.

The general paused once again, but merely curved his head over his shoulder. "Yes, my queen?"

The red queen let silence hang for but a moment later softly uttered, "Thank you."

A cheeky grin grew on the general's face and he turned his body fully to his queen in a deep bow.

"I live to serve, dearie." his grin turned into a soft smile as he finished the bow and to see the woman with a smile of her own, "I will be seeing you later, my queen."

"Cora." the red queen corrected.

"…Cora." Rumple grinned again and left Cora to her own devices.

Cora stood there on one of her castle's halls for a minute longer before she swiftly turned to walk to another direction. She passed a door leading to a great open room with bright magnificent chandeliers hanging above and finely crafted wooden thrones. She went up on grand staircases and smiled at the people running up and down them. As she was walking down a hall, she had an urge to stand by one of the large windows that showed brief images of the beautiful land.

Her dark russet eyes gazed upon the black night. Stars twinkled and the crescent moon bathed its glow down towards the people and the kingdom of Meridan. Below at the castle grounds a wonderful garden of roses and apple trees spread. The wide open green lawn complimented perfectly to the red colors of the flowers and apples. A red fortified wall rose to cut off the shrubberies and a black steel gate closed the road leading to the castle grounds. Beyond the wall rested the city of Twine Rouge. Houses and shops were lit up as night drew out its own time. Lamp posts brought light to the night stragglers who roamed the white bricked streets. Through the buildings another wall enveloped the city, this one thicker though not quite higher than Castle Twine's walls.

Not wanting to linger any longer, she dragged her eyes away from the window's view to hurry down another corner and stop by a brown oak door. The edges of its frame were lined by carved vines and an apple was painted at the top-most center. The Red Queen knocked softly three times before opening the door.

"Malefi," Cora smiled at the blonde teenager sitting on a chair. "Everything alright in here?"

"Your majesty!" Malefi closed the story book she was reading and stood up from her seat. "Yes, we're fine. Just reading her a story."

Cora closed the door behind her as another voice shot up eagerly at the Red Queen's entrance.

"Mother!" a girl jumped, arms raised, sitting on the bed. "Malefi was just telling me a story about an ogre and a donkey!"

Dark brown hair almost black covered the girl's head and curled against her ear. Her eyes the same color as her mother's shone in excitement at the woman. A blanket covered her short legs and dainty feet and a smile stretched across her face.

Cora let out a short laugh, "Is that so, my dear?"

"Yes! Yes!" the girl grinned as she jiggled between pillows, "He rescued a princess who was on top of a tower and it was guarded by a red dragon!"

"That's quite a story," Cora smiled as she neared her daughter.

Regina sighed dramatically, "Yes, but Malefi thinks that girls stuck on top of towers are overrated."

Cora repressed a grin and raised a red brow at the blushing teenager, "Overrated?"

Malefi coughed behind a closed fist and put down the story book on a bedside drawer. "I think people use the theme one too many times, your majesty."

"You'd rather the princess be in a dreary dungeon then?" the red queen asked.

"It feels more realistic, just saying." Malefi stated.

"Even with the tower thing, you still read me the story, Malefi." the little girl piped up.

"Yes, because it's quite entertaining; tower besides." the teenager grinned.

"It's was really funny, mother." the girl turned to her mother, "there was a dragon, and a love story, and the princess was cursed, and a short man with a large head was the rival of the ogre! OH! And the funny donkey!"

"It is very interesting," Cora sat down on the side of the comfy bed, "I'd like to hear all of the glorious details, my love, but unfortunately it is late and time for you to sleep."

"Aww," the girl pouted, "We were just about to finish."

"I'm sure you can hear the rest tomorrow, Regina." her mother assured her.

"Okay," Regina nodded and burrowed under the thick sheets.

Cora turned to face Malefi, "Thank you for watching over her, Malefi."

"She wasn't any trouble, your majesty." Malefi smiled, "She's nothing like Grand Elder Lucinnia's little pup."

The Red Queen chuckled at the thought of Lucinnia's adopted son. She could still remember the day they found the Elder bringing in a ragged child and grumbling as he wolfed down the food in the kitchen's. Lucinnia saved the boy from a group of rabid wolves two years before on the edge of the Wiccan Forest. He'd been out in the wilderness longer than anyone thought.

The young child had been rowdy and filled with too much energy to be hyper. She had to hide a snicker at the gall of the boy a week ago for calling the respected woman as 'Granny'. The woman wasn't past her middle forties and had chased the boy down for giving her such a nickname. The wild child that he was, he thought the chase as a game and kept crowing out the name behind him. It was a quarter hour past before she saw the woman panting on a hall bench and the boy sitting next to her patting her back gently.

Graham may be hard to handle with his energy, but you couldn't fault that he was a sweet and caring boy.

"Oh, everyone knows there is nothing quite like that little pup." Cora assured, "But thank you. I apologize for keeping you up late."

"It's not a problem," Malefi smiled, "It's been only but a week. If there's nothing else?"

"Yes, you can go now." Cora nodded, "I'm sure there are many things for a sixteen year old to do, but I'm sure they'd still need their sleep."

Malefi grinned, "If you need for me again, you can always call on me, your majesty." with two fingers on her chest and a low bow, Malefi left through the oak door.

Cora felt a small hand touch her sleeve and she turned to face her daughter.

"So, my dear, what have you been up to while I was gone?" Cora leaned down to kiss her daughters head, "You smell like apples. Have you been to the apple groves again?"

"Rocinante keeps on sniffing me for one!" Regina giggled, "Then when I get to the apple tress, there's just too many on the ground and I end up bringing a lot."

"The horses will grow fat if you keep sneaking them so many apples everyday." Cora intoned.

Regina shook her head vigorously, "Horses don't get fat! The stable master says they get exercise every day to keep their legs strong."

"Oh? The stable master said that, hmm?" Cora smiled as she brushed her daughters cluttered hair.

"Yes!" the red princess nodded quickly, "Graham also tells me that he's seen them being ridden by soldiers. He sneaks to the Militia Grounds to watch the knights play with their swords."

Cora laughed at her daughter's young friend. "Graham will make himself a dashing knight in no time."

"I know!" Regina nodded once again, "That's what he tells me all the time."

Cora kept brushing her daughter's dark hair, "Your father loved horses."

"I love horses too." the little girl snuggled against her fluffy pillows as her eyes drooped close.

"I know, sweetheart." Cora touched her cheek gently, "Your father would have loved riding with you when you are old enough."

Regina's eyes shot open and she puffed her cheeks, "I'm old enough to ride."

"You are only eight. Maybe when you turn ten, my love."

"But Rocinante will grow fat if I don't ride him now!" Regina debated.

"You told me just earlier that horses don't grow fat." Cora raised a brow at the child.

"Well, what if he does?" Regina pouted.

"If he does, then we'll put him in a strict diet." the red queen resolved, "That means no more apples for him."

Regina gasped at the thought of her noble friend not getting any apples. "Mother! Rocinante only eats apples. He'll die without them!"

"My goodness!" Cora placed hands over her heart, "That is a very compelling argument. We wouldn't want that to happen to one of our horses."

The red queen brushed a few stray hairs from the princess' face, "I guess we shouldn't stop feeding Rocinante with his apples." Cora nodded to concede and Regina sighed in relief.

"Mother," Regina prompted softly as her eyes started to close for sleep.

"Yes, my dear?"

"You know, I love apples too." Regina yawned.

"Because they make Rocinante fat?" Cora asked casually.

Regina giggled sleepily, "No."

"Hmm, why do you love apples then?"

"Because they're red," Regina said simply, "And they remind me of you."

The red queen's heart fluttered as her daughter slipped to the land of dreams. She leaned in close and kissed her daughter's tussled head of hair and whispered, "I love you too, Regina."

* * *

There was a soft knock on an open door. The large build of a man stood framed in the middle, a sword held in his burly hands.

"George," a bed-ridden woman uttered weakly. "He didn't make it."

The black knight merely strode towards the Black Queen's bedside. He placed the black hilted sword on the queen's blanket covered lap. A nursemaid tending with a few white sheets discreetly made her way out of the room.

"No, your grace." George finally replied. "Would you like to see the body?"

Eva shook her head and stared at the sword in her lap. "Just… Just burn it."

The black knight nodded then made an effort to comfort his queen.

"It is only you now, Queen Eva." George kneeled down.

"Only me…" Eva nodded her head absently.

"Don't let today's news bring you down. The soldiers of the Black Kingdom will all pledge themselves to you. We will fight for the lost life of our king until our dying breaths. I assure you that."

The Black Queen continued her stillness. He waited a couple of minutes for his queen to reply, but he was only given grim silence. The man knew that there was nothing he could do for his queen right now, so he stood to leave.

"I should have been there." the Black Queen whispered.

"No, your grace." George said gently as he stood in the open door, "One royal life lost under the dangers of magic is enough. We would not have been able to lead this kingdom if you both did not survive. Rest, my queen, I'm sure you are tired."

The black knight closed the door and left his queen to rest.

Eva closed her eyes as a tear slipped past the corners.

The Black Queen grabbed onto the sheathed of the black sword and leaned it against the night stand next to the bed. She pushed the blanket away from her legs and stood from the bed. The window showed the black night sky and the lunar glows of the crescent moon shone down a white bassinet.

"Only me," she laid her eyes down to the baby inside the basket, "and you… my dear child."

Eva carefully lifted the baby from the bassinet and carried her gently in her arms. She walked back to the bed and sat down with her baby. She hummed a sad tune as more tears trickled down her face. With a finger she softly touched her daughter's warm cheek.

"I haven't named you yet, have I?" she rocked her daughter gently, "Hair black as coal and skin white as snow. If I didn't know your father's skin so well, I would have been worried."

A thought came to the queen and she stopped her rocking, "Snow… Your father loved snow." she brushed her stray tears, "Our lands never seemed to produce any, but he still loved it."

The Black Queen stood back up to place her daughter back in her bassinet deliberately. She adjusted the soft cotton of the baby's shift and whispered like a promise, "Only me… and only you now, my dear, Snow White."

* * *

**AN2: I keep writing very long sentences. Tell me whenever you guys are tired of my fucking lengthy worded sentences and I'll shove a period somewhere in the middle of em. Also, Fuck Me. Weeeeeeee… I think I'm high. Okay, I'm not, but wow. I feel the need to say weeeeeeeeeee… right now.  
**

**I don't know what the fuck I am writing. Lol, I don't even know what to write on the Storybrooke side next. This chapter was a headache. Please don't mind this author's note. I'm going crazy at the moment. LOL. This author's note is so funny. I don't know why.**

**_Next time on Master Chef:_**

_Henry gasped and slammed his body towards the man, "NO!"_

* * *

_"Jefferson!"_

_"Your majesty!" Jefferson ran to her wildly._

* * *

_"You saying I'm one of you?" Emma asked Snow._

**Coz that is all that I have right now. I'm not very good at explaining spell mechanics for the next chap. ._. Also at planning chapters.**


	4. Don't Panic It's Only an Epidemic

**AN: I keep getting anxiety over my chapters. It's like a battle field inside my head whether to post one or not because it has imaginary mistakes. I have so many mental issues, but I can't help it. D: And yeah, I got extra cash, so I could type this shit in an internet café and post it. Enjoy the crazies!**

**To that one guest: Sorry for the confusing battle. xD I only wrote a lot there so I can fill that chap. And Fred's Fred. Duh. (I like his name) In advance for you, I would like to say sorry for this confusing chase scene below the line too. If you're still reading that is.**

* * *

A running bulldozer made his way through the scattered people on the sidewalk chasing his target. There were a few bodies milling about in the streets trying to shake their heads. People cried out as they were knocked aside. The confusion in their minds was rendering everyone fixed to their spot; whether it be standing in their shop or sitting comfortably at home. Dazed people could feel the danger coursing through the brute's every step. His ordinary human hands seemed to shove people with such a force that it could prove fatal to be under the brute's fury. A few had the will to keep their brain clear long enough to stay away from the man, but there were some unfortunates.

In the brute's pursuit, a stumbling man he passed had to howl in pain at being pushed into a wall and breaking his shoulder. He had to get rid of everything and everyone in his way. His abused mind and body could only understand one thing and one thing only. He only had one order. That was to beat the target currently running away from him.

Cars slowed to a stop on the roads as their drivers felt memories submerged their already crowded minds. The brute kept running. His eyes never left the short haired brunette meters away from him. If there was any semblance of emotional responses that his brain could develop, he would have been impressed by how the brunette could keep her distance. Especially on those black heels she was wearing. He knew he was fast, but the mayor was the same; if not a bit faster. He would not have expected that from someone who works behind a desk everyday.

The mayor turned a right and kept running through an alley. The emotionless brute stomped his legs into a stop and grabbed the brick edge of a building. It cracked under the strength of his hand, but David did not stop and see. He merely cricked his neck to the direction of the alley and moved his body to follow. His strides gained its former speed as the two ran a straight line across the alley way. The mayor did not look back at her pursuer to know that he was still behind her. The splash of the puddle she ran past was an indication that she was still being chased.

Regina turned another bend.

And then to an intersection to the right.

She managed to run out of an alley to cross the street just to run inside another maze of an alley. But this one didn't seem to agree with her alley marathon. This one had to lead her straight to a metal fence. She had turned from an intersection which she was sure was made by three shops and an apartment complex. She had run through the gap between the music shop and the one which sells furniture. It would have led an exit to another street. She could even see a car driving through the road.

Her heart beat faster above its limit. Regina swallowed back her pants and tried to wet her dry throat. Her fear was thudding loudly against her chest. She spun back towards the path she came from when she saw a glimpse of the man chasing her. The mayor quickly hid behind a large dark green dumpster, but the sounds of his stomping foot steps did not cease its running. Instead it passed her corner. Regina sat in her hiding place for a minute. She gathered the tiny semblance of calm she had to relax her breathing. Her eyes landed onto the metal fence and thought about climbing it.

She scratched at the idea. She wouldn't be able to go through there. It was a dead end.

The gaps between the twisted metal wouldn't be able to support her footing. It would be a slippery way up. Maybe she could have managed if not for the strips of metal bent into sharp points between the chains. It could prick deep holes in her hands if she grabbed too tightly. Add the fact that the brute may still be close enough to hear the rattling chains if she climbed now.

The only way for her to get out of this alley now is to turn back the way she came. She pressed her fingers to the cold metal of the dumpster and leaned forward to sneak a peek from where she sat. She rapidly pulled herself back and pushed her body tightly to her hiding place as if willing it to make her invisible.

He was there.

The mayor had to fight the urge to whimper. She had seen his jean clad legs and his heavy booted feet. She looked up at the metal fence again and barely forced back a scream as a fist banged at the other side of the dumpster. She jerked her body up and frantically grabbed into the fence. Regina ignored the prickling pain on the flesh of her palms and fingers and climbed. Her blood dripped down the short bent metal that acted as thorns, but she paid it no mind. It was a small price to pay to escape the danger that was David. She had half of her arm over the metal fence before her blazer was caught in a hand. The brunette grunted in pain as her hands were dragged down a few metal thorns. Her arm was back on her side of the fence and she fell half a foot from her climb. Her hands were still clinging to the fence.

Regina's progress was hindered and she was pushed back, but she will not let go of the fence until she was over it.

A hard jerked of her blazer made the mayor curl her hands more tightly to the chains. Another hand grabbed onto Regina's blazer and the force of the pull was enough for the metal fence whine from its connection to two building walls. It was also enough for the clinging mayor to release a hand. One of the strong hands instantly grabbed onto the blazer clad arm and the other shifted on her shoulder. She dropped lower from the fence and her right foot made contact with the ground. The metal thorns dug deeper into her hand as the brute pulled her arm. She closed her eyes as a tear of pain slipped down her face. Regina bit her lip as the effort to hold on was mounting past her limits. A rip could be heard as her sleeve tore from her arm. The pain from her hands and from an arm being pulled from your shoulder did not make her let go.

No. It did not.

But when she opened her eyes, the figure did.

A soft melodious hum sang through the air like a lullaby. Innocent, meant to soothe children into sleep. But Regina did not hear it like that. Her mind felt like it was being poisoned and her stomach churned. Regina wanted to throw up. She did not feel soothed at all. Neither was she calmed by the familiar presence. She felt the cold dread and the sweat crawl down her face. The figure hummed as she placed herself between the two buildings that made the alley. Walking like a delicate little girl dressed in a white cardigan over a blue dress. Her hands were behind her back and she faced Regina with a manic smile on her face.

Regina's eyes had widened and her bloodied hand let go of the chain fence in fear. She could only lock her eyes with Snow's even as her back connected painfully on the green dumpster. The woman moved closer to them from the other side and eyed the metal fence in between. Her cherubic face spread with wicked glee at the sight of her dripping blood within its thorns. She stared fascinated at the fence. Her soft hands hovered over the red painted metal. It's as if she was gently caressing the purity of the sacred thorns, but was repelled by the dirt of her blood.

"You know, you didn't have to run." Snow said as she tapped a finger on a clean part of a chain and fixed her gentle gaze at Regina, "You're all going to die one way or another."

* * *

"I can't find them." Rumple whispered under his breath. "Where are you, princess?"

Rumple walked hurriedly with his limp through the streets and sidewalk. He had arrived at the animal shelter with only David Nolan's truck to greet him, no one else. He had dashed searching for them from around the shelter to find only groaning citizens complaining of headaches. He'd had a minor headache too, but once you stopped fighting the memories crashing through your skull you start to think clearly. You'll find yourself getting rid of the headache faster that way. He did not have anymore fogs of confusion, but the red general had a more upstanding problem than a simple migraine. The Red Kingdom's princess was in danger. He could feel it underneath his skin.

The red general had to find Regina. She was the only living heir left for the throne.

Rumple had to pause at the tinge in his heart. He stopped to lean a hand to the side of a shop and clutched one of his swords tighter.

His queen has died. He failed. His only mission in life and he failed.

General Stiltskin gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the concrete building. He can't be distracted with thoughts right now. He needed to find the princess – or would it be fitter to say queen now? – and protect her. The princess was alive and he needed her right now.

He continued limping through shops and found a person groaning about his broken shoulder.

That was peculiar. For once it wasn't about a painful headache.

He cursed his leg as he limped to the man, "Are you alright there lad?"

"Alright? Of course I'm not alright!" the man had tightly closed his eyes as he clutched at his shoulder, "I have a massive headache, then some bastard rammed me into a fucking wall and no one could help me because most of them people are having the same headache I'm having."

"What brute?" Rumple interrogated, "Where did he go?"

"I don't fucking know! Will you leave me the hell alone?!"

Rumple unsheathed his sword and pointed its tip on the man's neck, "You tell me right now or I'll fix that headache of yours by beheading you!"

The man jumped and raised his uninjured arm up, "W-wait! I-I-I-"

"Hey!"

A shout was heard and Rumple turned his head to see Emma. The sheriff was in a firing stance with a gun held between two hands. "Back off from the guy and put down the sword, Gold."

"No," he kept holding the point of his sword to the man's neck, though he warily stared at the gun. "Not until he tells me what I want to know."

"You're taking this charade too far, Gold." Emma clicked the safety, "I'll say it again. Back off and put. Down. The sword."

The red general took her eyes off the gun to stare at Emma. He didn't need this delay. He had to retreat. He slowly dropped his unsheathed sword on the ground as well as its scabbard. Then backed away from it with his hands raised. Emma discreetly put the safety back on, but did not relax her grip on the gun. The blonde nodded to the other sword on Rumple's hip. "Drop the other one on your hip to the ground too."

"No." Gold gritted his teeth, "I need this to protect the princess."

"Gold, I swear, if you don't put down the sword-"

Emma did not finish her sentence before Rumple quickly snatched the man's broken shoulder and dragged him in front like a shield. Emma swore as the man shouted in pain. Great, now she had a hostage situation, Emma thought.

"I told you he was evil, Emma." Henry whispered. He peeked from his hiding place; a wall shielding an open space for stairs. It led to upper floors of a building.

"Not now, Henry." Emma warned.

"Sorry," Henry said half heartedly. He knew his theories were correct. This proved that the book was right. "I'm just saying."

"I said not now." Emma glared. It was supposed to be directed at her son, but she did not mind giving one to the man holding an injured hostage.

"Sorry," Henry repeated, more apologetic than before.

Rumple squeezed the man's arm and he let out a series of howls.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop! Please!" the man pleaded, "I'll tell you anything!"

"Tell me where the man who pushed you was headed to?" Rumple hissed in the man's ear.

"H-he was-he was chasing-th-the mayor!" the man whimpered.

Emma's head shot up, "What did you say?"

Rumple shook the man to ignore the sheriff, "Where did they run to?"

"The other way! To the-the corner, I think. They turned right in a corner!"

Rumple curled his arm around the man's neck and pulled him back. Emma focused back on them, "Gold. Stop. What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I told you before. I'm looking for the mayor!"

"This isn't the way, Gold." Emma followed them slowly, "You're hurting people. Let him go."

"I need to find Regina before it's too late. You don't understand."

"What's too late?" Emma questioned, "What wouldn't I understand, Gold?"

"I can't believe I'm letting you delay me further with your questions." Rumpled laughed mockingly, then he hardened his expression, "I will tell you once I find the princess safe, so let me be, Miss Swan."

"I can't do that, Gold." Emma shook her head.

"Then I can't do this either, sheriff." Rumple roughly pulled his human shield back. The man grunted and groaned in pain as they neared the corner he mentioned. The red general uncurled his arm from the man's neck, "Is this the direction where they ran?"

"Y-yes." the man whimpered.

"Good."

"Hey, wait!" Emma exclaimed. Rumple shoved the man towards the sheriff and ran. The man bumped to Emma causing her to stumble back and drop her gun. She pushed the man gently away from her and reached for her gun. The sheriff ran towards the corner, but did not see Rumple from the streets.

"Fuck," Emma cursed. She went back to the man. He was sitting on the sidewalk with a pained expression. "You okay?"

The man scowled at Emma. "I got a fucking killer migraine and a broken shoulder."

The sheriff sighed and got out her phone, "Let me call you an ambulance."

Henry tentatively creeped away from his hiding place. He found Mr. Gold's long sword on the ground and safely placed it back to its sheath. The weight of the sword was decidedly heavy, but Henry was sure he could manage. He heaved up the heavy sword with two hands and made his way to Emma.

"You let the bad guy get away, huh."

Emma finished her phone call and turned to Henry. She ignored Henry's commentary as her green eyes set on the sword in his arms. "I don't think you should be touching that, kid."

"Well, we can't just leave it on the ground."

"Of course not. It's a lethal weapon that was used in a hostage situation. That's why as sheriff I'm confiscating it." Emma took the sword from Henry, "Shit, this is heavy."

"I know right! And it's got cool engravings on the sword, see?" Henry tried to reach for the hilt, but Emma moved it away from him.

"Can't have you tampering with evidence, kid." Emma buckled the sword on her hip to keep it to her side, "Besides, I'm sure your mom wouldn't want you to be touching sharp objects."

"But I touched it already!" Henry complained, "And I don't care what the Evil Queen thinks! She's not my mom. You are!"

"Okay, okay." Emma raised her hands, "but with the recent events, I gotta do my job now and I'm gonna have to leave you in Regina's care."

"But Emma!"

"No buts," Emma said, "You told me that I'm your mom so I'm allowed to tell you what to do."

"Fine." Henry shoved his hands on his jacket and kicked dirt on the sidewalk.

"Great," Emma smiled and tried to console him, "Hey, maybe then you can get your book and get more scoops on what to do in Operation Cobra? I'm sure your mom-I mean the Evil Queen would be busy with her work and won't disturb you."

Henry thought about it for a second before smiling, "Okay."

"I'll just leave her a message then. After I grill this guy on what happened before we got here, I'll drive you home."

Emma turned away when she saw her son nod at her. She walked back to the man sitting on the ground nursing his shoulder. "What's taking the ambulance so long?"

"I don't know, guy. The woman I spoke to on the phone sounded a bit groggy. I wasn't sure if she was coherent to take my call, but she told me that an ambulance would come through here."

"Fuck me. They're getting the headaches too? Jesus Christ." the man cursed.

"What headache?" Emma asked.

The man rolled his eyes and tapped a finger on his temple, "This headache. Seems everyone else is affected by a bug. Virus. I don't know."

"Everyone?"

"Are you blind or something? Look all over you." the man pointed out.

Emma creased her golden brows and looked around. She blinked as she saw some of the people outside the streets either curled up on the sidewalk clutching their head or sitting besides a building with their eyes closed in pain. Emma placed a hand on her hip and another through her curled locks with a dumbfounded expression, "What the hell?"

"Don't you have one?" the man asked.

"The headache? No, I don't." Emma answered.

"Lucky you," the man snorted then groaned and clutched his head, "Jesus, this headache then the fucking bull had to charge by me."

"That's right," Emma sat next to the man, "What kind of information did you have that Mr. Gold had to break your arm?"

"Oh, no. Mr. Gold didn't break my arm. He just fucking twisted it when he manhandled me for directions." the man clutched his arm protectively as if he could feel the pain again. "And it's my shoulder that's broken."

"Mr. Gold just wanted directions?" Emma raised a brow, "From the way he twisted your arm, I'd say that's some very important directions you got there. He must have twisted it till he broke your shoulder."

"It wasn't Mr. Gold. It was the other guy that broke my shoulder."

"Who's the other guy?"

"Ugh, Dave something." the man rubbed his temple, "He was the animal shelter guy."

"David Nolan?" Emma breathed in shock.

"Yeah, he was chasing the mayor round the streets like he was some death hound. Fuck," the man cursed as he rubbed his temple harder, "or maybe that was my mind playing tricks on me cause I am fucking sure the mayor wouldn't be running around with that kind of face."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry, it was just… In my mind she looked kinda scared, you know?" the man sounded jittery talking about the mayor like that, but then he laughed, "That'll be the day, right? When the end of the world burns us to the ground. It's when the mayor loses her shit and runs scared from a gullible animal shelter guy."

"Yeah…" Emma said uncertainly, "I think even Gold was hallucinating. He was mumbling about being a general from Merry Land."

"General?" the man closed his eyes, "Merry Land? Merry Land…?"

Before the sheriff could reply they both heard the sirens of an ambulance. The sheriff stood and waved the ambulance towards them. There was a serious looking woman driving in front. She was clutching the wheel with a white knuckled grip and looking around her as if her surroundings weren't real. An EMT that emerged from the back was holding up his head groggily like that of a man already inside the ambulance. The EMT did not let his headache get in the way of his job and he checked the man's injuries. He placed a temporary sling on the man's shoulder and they both went inside the ambulance. To Emma's surprise not only was the ambulance taking the man with the broken shoulder, but a few stragglers who were slumped on sidewalks.

"Is there some epidemic outbreak in town or what?" Emma speculated under her breath.

"Emma," Henry said from behind her, "It's the curse starting to break. We seriously need to get my book right now."

"Yeah," Emma agreed absently, "About that… Maybe we should look for Regina. I'm a little bit worried about your mom, kid."

"What, why?" Henry scrunched his face.

"The guy earlier said he saw David chasing Regina… and he said your mom was scared."

"Right," Henry nodded sarcastically, "And you guys think I'm crazy."

"We don't think you're crazy, Henry." Emma had to explain further at her son's raised brow, "Dr. Hopper said you just have an overactive imagination."

Henry rolled his eyes and decided to drop the subject.

"Are you going to look for my-the Evil Queen? If you are, I want to come with you. You might need help." Henry declared then added, "And you're the savior. You're the best protection I have."

"Hmm," Emma grew serious and looked around the streets, "I guess you're right. You're better with me than with anyone else until we find Regina. Let's go riding in the bug. We'll probably find your mom faster that way."

On a moving ambulance the sitting form of the man could be seen. He kept muttering under his breath in silence, "Merry Land… Merry Land… Merry… Meridan?"

* * *

Regina grunted in pain as a firm hand grabbed onto her short hair. Her bloodied hands scratched David to get him to let go, but the man was an emotionless machine. He did not react to a single scratch she inflicted, even when it drew blood. David pulled Regina to a stand by her hair and they moved closer to Snow White. The pixie haired woman smiled as the mayor was forced to grab onto the thorny metal chains to prevent them from piercing her face or her eyes.

"I have such a nice view of your face, Regina." Snow's manic smile spread wider on her face and she let out a small giggle, "I can even see that scar I gave you once."

"It was not a memory I'd like to remember, princess." Regina gritted out in pain.

"Princess?" Snow's smile turned patronizing and she clucked her tongue, "Oh, dear. I did not know you've lost some of your memories too. I am the Black Queen now."

"Officially I wasn't ever dethroned. I merely left."

"I remember you running away from the Black Kingdom after you killed King Leopold." Snow laughed haughtily, "Even I as a young princess know treason when she sees one."

"You were the one that killed your own father, Snow." Regina scowled.

"Oh, no." Snow said mater-of-factly, "I didn't see Leopold as my father. Magic killed my real father."

"He loved you, you ungrateful brat!" Regina yelled as David shook her by the hair on her head.

"King Leopold never loved me! He wanted to fix me, bitch!" Snow's face turned in a sneer before turning back its original expression of innocence. "My mother was killed by magic too. My family was taken away from me by magic."

"What do you want from me, Snow? You've repeated this same speech over and over again. I've heard this before."

Snow snapped a finger and Regina was slammed to the side of a building with an 'umph!' She just had time to cover her head with an arm, but her head slipped through the defense. Her head bumped violently with the concrete and its rough surface cut a small gash on her forehead. Blood smoothly streamed down her face and dripped to her blazer. Regina's vision spotted with patches of black as she slumped to the alley floor. She was picked up by the neck of her blazer and her body drooped as it was dragged back up to face Snow White. Regina's legs could barely hold her. Her back still cried out in pain and now she was certain that she gained a concussion by her head connecting to a wall.

"I thought back then: I need to seek justice for the sake of other people, but how do you get revenge on magic itself?! It's intangible!" Snow continued on smiling to herself like Regina never said anything, "And then there you were. Always next to me. Always showing off petty magic. It made me think of all of the people like you who can use and manipulate magic. It was a divine revelation from the gods, step-mother. They sent you to me to clear my delusional mind of its fancy fascination with magic. When my mother died by magic, it was as if their voices was in my head. Telling me I needed to purge you, to purge ourselves of danger."

Regina let out a mocking laugh.

"Divine revelations? Sake of your people? 'Purge ourselves of danger' you say? Who are those people you talk about, Snow? Oh, are those the people who you killed before you attacked Twine Castle? Or what, are you stealing the humans in Meridan now? Who are these people, Snow? I see no people." Regina hissed, "It's only you, your monsters, and the delusional voices inside your mind."

Snow tsked, "You know sacrifices are made for the greater good, step-mother. Just like the brave men who gave their lives to me, I have to sacrifice all of you too. It is in order to gain the higher ground for the purity and safety of the ones who need my protection. That's why I need you to make it easier for me and tell me how to break this witchcraft you cast above us."

"I'm not telling you anything. You're not going to win just like when you never succeeded to kill everyone from my kingdom."

Snow crooked her finger and David pushed Regina's face centimeters away from a metal thorn. Snow leaned her face just as close on her side.

The pixie haired woman whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret, dear step-mother. I can still kill each and every one of you and you know it. With or without your help." Snow giggled maniacally and motioned for David, "David, dear. Play with her a while won't you, darling?"

David was still holding the mayor by the neck of her blazer. Regina quickly dropped her body to the ground and raised her arms to rid herself of the expensive clothing. She crawled behind the man in haste to get away, but was caught by her red blouse and slammed back to the thorny fence. Snow gasped and jerked away from the fence, though her face was filled with childish glee.

The mayor raised her arm towards David as if hitting him with a flaming ball of fire, but only empty air burst from her palms.

"That won't work," Snow whispered near her ear as she leaned closer to the mayor, "It's your fault we're here. You're all vulnerable now and you're all going to die."

Regina knew it wouldn't work. She'd tried it before when they were in front of the animal shelter. She had hoped that her magic would come back like their memories, but it did not. She could still feel magic somewhere. It was faint and far away. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't connect with the magic's current line.

David violently grabbed Regina's arm and she was tossed to the ground hard. The mayor rolled onto her stomach and tried to get away by crawling on her elbows. Her head was spinning up a storm and she hardly crawled up a couple of feet before her red blouse was caught again. David slammed her towards the nearest wall and she fell in a curled up heap on the side of the green dumpster. The mayor wanted to get up. Needed to get up. But her body refused any of her brain's commands. The pain receptors spread its work through her battered body intercepting any sensible notion of saving herself.

David stood before the fallen witch with his feet wide apart. He clenched his fist with his other hand and raised them to pound the mayor to the ground.

A gasp suddenly burst, "David! Look out!"

David jumped out of the way as a sword swung towards his head.

Rumple growled, "Monster!"

"No, don't interrupt, you stupid old man!" Snow screeched, "You always interrupt my fun!"

The red general ignored the screeching banshee and sliced his sword to David's abdomen. The swing missed and connected to the side of the building, but Rumple continued forward and swung again. David received a small nick on his shoulder. It didn't draw any blood and only sliced his plaid shirt. The brute clenched a strong fist and countered with a heavy punch that landed him closer to Rumple. The red general ducked his overpowered jab and took advantage of the close range to shoulder David back. The chain fence clanged as David was shoved towards it. Snow gasped again and moved away from the metal barrier.

"David! Do something! Kill him!" Snow shrieked.

David grumbled viciously like an animal and tried to charge Rumple, but the man merely ducked again and sliced him in the back. David grunted at the attack. Blood dribbled down the shallow slice on the brute's flesh, but he did not feel any pain. He spun back and tackled the armed man. He finally caught Rumple and took the chain fence with them as they fell down.

Snow screamed in frustration as the fence almost stabbed her with its metal thorns. She ran from the alley to the street to get out of the way and was nearly hit by a car. The tires of a yellow bug screeched to a stop as it almost crashed into a body.

"Mary Margaret!" Emma ripped her car door open and got out to check on the pixie haired woman, "Are you okay?"

"Bounty hunter!" Mary Margaret gasped and grabbed on Emma's jacket, "Help him!"

"What-" Emma saw the two men scuffling in the alley way and shouted to them, "Hey! You guys stop that right now!"

Rumple elbowed David's head to push the mindless brute away from him and got up from the fallen fence. He quickly raised the sword above his head with two hands about to behead the kneeling brute when another shout was yelled; this time by the voice of a child.

"No!" Henry rammed his body to Rumple making the red general stumble back towards the end of the dumpster. His sword was still gripped tightly in his hand, but the man dropped in a kneel because of his mangled leg. "Stop hurting my family, Dark One!"

"Henry!" Emma left her friend's side to her son's. She snatched her son by the shoulder and moved him behind her. She checked on David too and she could see a long bloody cut on his back. It appeared shallow, but it was bleeding through the cut in his shirt. "David, are you alright?"

David did not say anything as he got up from his own kneeling position. He was about to engage another fight, but Snow voice stopped him. "David, please take Henry. It's not safe."

Emma let David take Henry away and back towards the yellow bug. She took her eyes away from David and Henry to look at a distressed Mary Margaret then to Mr. Gold. "Why did you do this, Gold?"

Mr. Gold laughed bitterly and eyed the lump that was hidden by the green dumpster, "He hurt the princess."

"There aren't any princesses here, Gold." The sheriff drew out her gun and steadied her aim towards the kneeling pawnshop owner, "I need to take you in. Drop the sword. You're coming with me."

"You're not taking him anywhere, Miss Swan." the sheriff heard a hoarse voice behind the dumpster.

Emma lightened her grip in surprise, "Regina?"

"Yes," the voice replied weakly.

"Are you okay?" Emma was concerned with how weak the mayor's voice sounded, "Did Gold do something to you?"

Mr. Gold glared at Emma, but a bloodied hand reached from the dark green dumpster and landed on the man's shoulder. The man's tense body relaxed under the weight of the hand. Emma saw the same hand and breathed through her thudding heart, "Regina…"

The bloody hand retracted slowly and the mayor's voice was heard again, "I'm fine, sheriff."

"I don't think you're fine at all,"

"I'm fine." Regina strengthened her voice.

"No, Henry is what I call being 'fine' and he's sitting grumpily in the yellow bug with David by the door." Emma shook her head, "You having bloodied hands and next to a crazy, hallucinating guy with a sword who cut up David's back to bleeding… That is nowhere near 'fine.' I know we both have different opinions on things, but I would think that you're smart enough to share this one with me."

Regina took a while to reply, "Please, get Henry away from that man and leave this town."

"You're joking. You probably hit your head," Emma renewed her grip on the gun she held and aimed her eyes on Gold, "If Gold did something to you-"

"He didn't, Miss Swan." Regina denied.

"Then who did?" Emma asked, "No one else has sharp swords around here."

"I was being chased and I tried to climb the chained fence," Regina said from behind the dumpster, "It was me."

"Fence?" Emma shifted and the short heel of her boot caught on something in the ground. She dropped her eyes to the fallen fence and saw red in its metal thorns. Emma lowered her gun, "What the fuck, Regina. Who the hell was chasing you that made you lose your mind and climb onto this?"

"Emma, you need to take Henry away from the town." the mayor said firmly.

"Okay, now I know you hit your head. You called me by my name." Emma asked, troubled by another sight. The mayor's torn dark blazer on the ground. It was split in two by the shoulder and even with its black color, she could see drops of blood on a crumpled lapel. "Regina, what's going on? What else are you hiding behind that dumpster?"

"Nothing!" Regina said vehemently, "I need you to take Henry away from town, Miss Swan."

"I'm not leaving you here with Gold!"

"Well, I am staying with him. He won't hurt me, Emma. Just take Henry and leave. Please."

The soft voice and the 'Please' did Emma in. She lowered her gun further and made a move to go behind the dumpster, but she saw Gold raising up his sword. The sheriff held up her gun again, but the man was not even looking at her. He was scowling at someone from behind.

"Emma, they're dangerous. Don't go near them, please. I don't want you hurt." Mary Margaret said softly.

Emma turned her head at the school teacher then back at the pawn shop owner, "Regina needs to go to the hospital and Mr. Gold needs to be taken to the station, Mary Margaret."

The pixie haired brunette touched the sheriff's arm, "They'll hurt you. Let's just leave for now."

"Mr. Gold can take me to the hospital, Miss Swan. Take Henry and get out of the town. Leave with no one else." Regina ordered.

"Regina, I don't think this is a good idea." Emma argued.

"Go do what I told you, Miss Swan."

Mr. Gold stood up with one knee shaking. His sword was still up, "I'll take Regina to the hospital. You take that sociopath away from the princess."

"But-" Emma protested as Mary Margaret tugged on her arm.

"I said go, Emma!" Regina ordered resolutely.

Emma stared at Mr. Gold, "You won't hurt her?"

"I will always protect my people, Miss Swan. That has been my job for a very long time."

The sheriff was hesitant, but soon lowered her gun and reluctantly let Mary Margaret take her away. All three of them went inside the yellow bug with Snow at the front seat, David and Henry at the back, and Emma at the driver's seat. Emma gripped the steering wheel hard and started her car. They drove away with Henry happily chatting about the events that happened.

Once the car could be seen no more, Rumple relaxed his grip on the sword. He placed it back inside it's sheathe and kneeled next to Regina. She was sitting with her back on the green dumpster. Her hand was trying to staunch the flow of blood from the gash in her head. "Miss Swan was right, your highness. You are definitely nowhere near 'fine'."

Regina let out a helpless chuckle, "Yes, Rumple. Far from it."

* * *

Emma jogged up to her apartment after locking her car. The four of them had driven back to Emma and Mary Margaret's apartment. She told the rest to go up without her and lock the doors. The sheriff needed some alone time to process what had happened this day and the others left her sitting in the bug. The injured man from before had said the mayor was being chased by the animal shelter guy and the sheriff could not let it stick in her head.

David would never do anything to hurt anyone, wouldn't he? David wouldn't hurt a fly!

Regina had said she was being chased so that confirmed some of the man's information, but she did not say outright whoever her pursuer was. Mr. Gold was fighting David because he hurt the princess, which was Regina in his mind. Regina was adamant that David not go anywhere near Henry. That means David did do something to her and that just can't be.

If that were so, why didn't Regina tell her that David hurt her?

Did the mayor think she would not believe her?

She thought about the slumped forms of the people in the streets and their complaints about a headache. There must be something serious going around town and it's pretty dangerous if it changed a person's behavior like that. Even Regina was acting weird. She wanted Emma to leave town with Henry! Something is terribly wrong with their heads.

Emma slowly got out of her bug and up to her apartment. She used her key and opened the door. She scanned around for anyone, but she couldn't see a single person. It was silent in the living room and the kitchen. Emma walked to the stairs leading to the other floor. She could hear excited mumblings from above and went up the steps. The sheriff moved to her room and listened behind her door. It was Henry's voice, talking about his book of fairy tales. Emma opened the door slowly, trying not to disturb whoever else was inside with her son. She peeked through the gap and saw David sitting across Henry on the bed. The man was still wearing his plaid shirt that had a slice on the back.

The man's wound could barely be seen sideways, but Emma could still imagine the long cut behind him.

Emma shifted her eyes from the man's shoulder to his head. The sheriff jerked in surprise as her green eyes found David's empty stare looking at her. She backed away from the door as David kept eyeing her through the gap.

She felt a flutter of air near her ear and a pale hand came upon her shoulder.

* * *

"What was that?" Henry asked.

David's head was turned to the door and Henry had heard a gasp from outside. The door had opened further with a creak, but the frame was empty. Henry moved to stand, but David's hand gently grabbed his thin wrist. His eyes turned back to David as the man looked at the boy again. David shook his head and smiled; his eyes still glazed and empty.

"Yeah, it's probably just Snow finding a squirrel on the window." Henry shifted in his seat in the bed and smiled as his granpa nodded. "Anyway…"

* * *

"General Stiltskin," Regina sat with Rumple beside her in the crowded hospital. They were waiting for someone to tend to them as doctors and nurses ran round the people. Many of the town's citizens were checking in for awful migraines and some were in accidents caused by the same migraine everyone was complaining about. A nurse had given the mayor a temporary bandage for her head. "I need you to make sure that the sheriff gets my son out of this town."

"Princess Regina, I can't leave you now," Rumple shook his head, "Those two have already hurt you! They'll surely come and attack you again. There isn't anyone in my guard who remembers yet and I need you safe."

"He's my son, general." Regina glared at him fiercely, "He's my son and the Blackwood heir. He's more important than me."

"I know, but a child cannot rule a kingdom, your highness." Rumpled shouldered the strength of the princess' glare without slumping, "You can always bear another child. As for the Black Kingdom, if there is anyone left of their people that is, I am most certain that they would gladly give you back the reigns to the throne. They're as good as dead if they continue supporting what their deranged queen has done to the lands of Crepuscule!"

"I can't believe you!" Regina raised her voice. People groaned at the noise of the two most powerful persons in Storybrooke, but no one in the hospital dared to complain. Nearby nurses were concerned at the topic of discussion thinking the two of them had gone completely crazy. "After all we've done to get Henry, you would just leave him to the wolves?"

"I'm sorry to say, but he's already inside the den, your highness."

"If my mother was still alive and I was the one held hostage, would you tell her the same?"

"Of course! I would!"

"Yes, you would at first!" Regina stood, "But then you would go get me and not let me be harmed by a homicidal maniac! So why not do that now?"

"Henry will not be harmed by Snow." Rumple stood as well, "You know how she likes to play with you. She would not kill him until the very end where she can squeeze every drop of misery and despair from our veins! I've let your mother die, Regina. I will not leave your side and let you die as well. You have no other protection except me."

"I will go get Graham then!"

"Graham is dead!"

"Why would Graham be dead when Granny is still alive?" Regina shot back.

"Because he had a heartatta-" Rumple cut himself off and blinked. "Right… Lucinnia's alive, but magic…"

"I can feel magic, Rumple. I'll only need to reinforce his ritual and he'll be up and about again. He's not dead." Regina hid her lie behind a smug smirk.

"Even if he's not dead, you still don't have someone else to protect you right now." Rumple frowned at her, "I can't let myself leave you, Regina. My pride won't make me."

"I need you to get him away from here, Rumple." Regina begged, "Before Snow tires of the sadistic games and kills him. Please he's my son. You know how much it'll hurt me to lose him. You know how much it hurts!"

Rumple felt from experience. He had lost his son a time ago and he was melting under Regina's pleading brown eyes.

He gritted his teeth and reluctantly spoke, "You will stay here?"

"Yes," Regina nodded firmly, "and if I'm not here, I would probably be at the cemetery."

The red general nodded, "If you're going to dig someone from six feet under. Get someone to help. Please don't make me regret this, princess."

"You won't, Rumple." Regina watched him leave and exhaled a heavy sigh. She cannot lose Henry.

The nurses scrambling around the uncomfortable town's people made their rounds slowly. Regina patiently waited till her turn came up and was finally tended to. She thanked the nurse after he finished wrapping her hands in bandages and cleaned the gash on her forehead. It was smaller than she had thought, but the nurse said that head wounds always bleed the most. He moved on to another patient and Regina heard a familiar voice that rang through the crowded hospital.

"Your majesty!"

Regina turned towards the voice, "Jefferson!"

A man with a dark purple trench coat pushed his way past groaning people and ran towards the mayor.

"W-we did it, your majesty!" Jefferson squealed, not even noticing the mayor's battered state, "We did it! Aren't you glad we did it? The spell was a success! We got away! We did it!"

"Settle down, man!" a nauseas man sitting on one of the hospital chairs hollered, "Don't you see we're all having migraines in here?"

Now that Mr. Gold was out of the picture, a doctor gathered up the courage to reprimand the mayor and her companion, "I'm sorry, madame mayor. Would you and your friend take your talk somewhere else?"

Regina recognized the doctor. She was about to say his name but thought better of it. She did not know if he remembered anything yet. People around her were starting to remember and she had seen nurses lead some of them in another part of the hospital and checked in as delirious or hallucinating. She didn't want to say anything in case she was thought as crazy.

"I apologize for the disturbance. We will let ourselves out if my friend here doesn't need anymore help." Regina turned to the excited man.

"Of course, your highness." the doctor blinked at his mouth's slip, he muttered a low 'what the…' then shook his head to scrutinize the excited man himself, "Do you need any help, sir?"

"No, no. I'm fine now. No more headaches!" Jefferson assured.

"Alright, if you're sure." the doctor walked away from them, placing a palm on his forehead.

The two exited through the open glass doors of hospital and walked to the side.

"This is great!" Jefferson shouted out and the people going in and out of the hospital looked at his like he was crazy.

"Jefferson." Regina pushed them further away from the hospital with a tiny smile.

"Sorry, your majesty! I can't help myself! It's just that we did it! Holy Jabberwocky! We got away from the crazies!" Jefferson jumped in joy.

Regina was reluctant to pop the man's happy bubble, but she needed to warn him of Snow, "Jefferson."

"I can't believe we escaped that tragedy. Can you believe it, your highness? I can't believe it. I can't. But here we are, safe and sound. I can't believe it." Jefferson gushed. "There were too many technicalities to be considered in the spells we did and the endless problems that could have happened and I just can't believe it!"

"Jefferson."

"You know, I highly doubted for a moment that we could get where we are now. There was that bumbling problem about the spell that made us suppress our own memories away, but this is just great. We're away from those people. Away from those terrible, terrible monsters! HATS BE JIGGLING! We got away from them!"

"Jefferson!" Regina shouted through the man's loud voice.

"Yes?! What?! What?!" Jefferson shouted back annoyed that his squealing was being interrupted.

Regina's lips thinned, "She's here."

"She who." Jefferson stopped his jumping and inquired anxiously.

"You know who." Regina said softly.

"You… Know… Who?" Jefferson said weakly, "Voldemort? Harry Potter's in this part of the universe?"

"Jefferson…" Regina reprimanded with a serious expression.

"You… know… who…" Jefferson's lip twitched, "N-n-no. No. No. I'm not hearing this. This is part of the confusion of the dimensional transportation spell. Lalala~" Jefferson rocked on the balls of his feet. He shook his head with his hands covering his ears. "No. No. NO. NO!" the man started to hyperventilate and stomped his foot hard on the ground.

"Jefferson, calm down!" Regina grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I-I-I c-can't, your majesty!" Jefferson breathed rapidly, "We-we have to get out of here! I need to find my daughter! We have to get out of here! GRRRACE!"

Regina slapped him hard, "Calm down! God damn it!"

Jefferson spluttered with a hand on his reddened cheek, "Y-y-you cursed. You cursed and slapped me!"

"We can try to find your daughter around this madness, but I need to tell you that we have a bigger problem." Regina ignored his outrage.

"Problems! It's always about the problems!" the man whined in a loud voice.

"Jefferson, please stop the dramatics," Regina glared, "My mother may have been used to your antics, but I am not. Give me some slack!"

"Fine, I'm sorry, your majesty. It's my only way to relieve stress." Jefferson willed his shallow breathing down, "Bad or good."

Regina nodded once, "I'll try to remember that the next time you blow up, Jefferson."

Jefferson sighed and rubbed his stinging face, "Well, then. What is our problem this time, your majesty?"

"We have no magic." Regina stated bluntly.

"What?" Jefferson stopped rubbing his cheek and narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

Knowing the man would repeat the question if she only says it normally Regina yelled, "We have no magic!"

There was an eerie silence that hovered over their heads. Regina crossed her arms on her chest and tapped her black heeled foot on the ground. She was waiting for the man's explosion and was not disappointed.

"NO MAGIC?!" Jefferson screeched.

* * *

"Shit," Emma jumped and gasped. She spun to the figure of Mary Margaret and the blonde breathed out a relieved sigh, "Did you have to give me a heart attack?"

Mary Margaret smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't know you were that distracted. Want to come downstairs and get some hot chocolate?"

"Sure," Emma nodded as they both went down the stairs, "I can use something to relax myself with. This day has been hectic."

"Oh?" Mary Margaret mused as she busied herself in their small counter, "You think so?"

"Yeah…" Emma said warily, "Are you and David alright?"

"Of course, Emma." Mary Margaret picked up their mugs of hot chocolate and sat on a stool, "Why did you ask?"

"I think you and David are infected by some kind of epidemic going around. Hallucinations and stuff." Emma said with a worried face, "Are you sure you're alright, Mary Margaret?"

"Mary Margaret? Oh, Emma. You don't remember." Mary Margaret said with a pitying gaze, "It was supposed to work on everybody, but I see that you were affected much worse by that witch."

"Fuck, I knew it." Emma stood abruptly from her seat, "At first I thought this was just a prank, but now I know that it's an epidemic. You're all going crazy in this town."

"This is just like that abomination to give my best soldiers with the most powerful of curses." Mary Margaret nodded her head knowingly.

"Your best soldiers? Are you saying I'm supposed to be one of you?" Emma's brows creased.

"You were one of my soldiers, yes." Mary Margaret smiled fondly, "My hunter."

"That isn't even right. Henry said I was the 'Savior' not the 'Hunter." Emma threw her hands up, "This is just your brain making stuff up, Mary Margaret."

"No, Emma. You were my most loyal bounty hunter. You found the witch for me, but she escaped. Now she has cursed you for revenge so you can't remember."

"Mary Margaret, why don't I take you and David to the hospital? I'm sure someone could fix this." Emma said worriedly.

"Oh, Emma. Dear Emma. No one can fix us. We're quite fine. You, however, need help." Mary Margaret got up from her seat and went to one of her nearby drawers, "I have just the thing. Don't you worry, my faithful servant, I will save you from that witch's magic."

"No, I don't need any help." Emma moved to go up the stairs, "I'm taking all of us - you, me, David and Henry - and we are going to the hospital. If no one can help you and David there, we're getting out of this town."

"I'm sorry," Mary Margaret smiled as she held a pen and paper, looking for a flat surface to write on, "Henry can't leave this town, Emma."

"Of course he can," Emma assured, "If you're worried that I'm going to leave you here, then don't. I'm taking you with me and anyone else here that needs to be saved from this madness."

"He's the witch's son," Mary Margaret nodded at the fact and moved back to the dinner table, "He has magic. He won't be leaving here."

Emma sighed and grabbed the stair railing, "No, he's my son and you're delirious right now, so we're going to leave for the hospital, okay?"

"I can't let you leave with him, Emma." Mary Margaret stated innocently as she started to write down on the piece of paper, "He needs to be purged."

"What?" Emma turned back to face Mary Margaret, a frown on her face, "What do you mean by 'He needs to be purged'?"

"Just that, Emma. He's going to be purged." Mary Margaret finished writing and smiled at Emma as she capped the pen. "We need to rid the impurities of the world. So he's staying in town with the rest of the magical filth the witch took here and they're all going to die. Simple as that."

Emma inhaled a shaky breath and clenched her fist, "Mary Margaret, I know you're sick at the moment, but I won't have you talking to me about my own son like that."

"My name is not Mary Margaret, Emma. It's Snow White. Well, it's actually Snow Blackwood, but my mother always called me Snow White that it stuck." Snow giggled then raised the paper to Emma, "And Henry isn't your son, silly. But don't worry, you'll remember everything once you get these for me."

"I think we really should go to the hospital now." Emma urged her friend. "This is starting to freak me out."

"No, I need you to get this for me, Emma." Snow said nudging the paper in the air, "It will help you."

"You know what?" Emma took two steps up the stairs, "I'm just going to take Henry and leave the town just like Regina said."

Emma turned away from 'Snow White' and looked up the steps. She had to step down a stair in shock as she found the empty gaze of David Nolan staring down at her.

Snow sighed daintily, "I'm sorry, Emma. I just can't let you do that."

* * *

**AN: Fuck me. I outdid myself in this chapter so don't expect each and every one of them to be this long. Jefferson and Crazy!SnowWhite is just fucking awesome to write. And also Voldemort. I couldn't help that quip. I shouldn't have added Jefferson to this mix of characters, but I already placed him on the last chapter's sneak peek, so whatever.**

**_Next time on Master Chef:_**

_"You're mad! Why do our councilmen even listen to you?! You'd rather let our land, Crepuscule, to crumble under our feet! I will not let you do this, do you hear me?!"_

* * *

_"Rumple, they're asking for an alliance."_

* * *

**Excuse me for words. Excuse me for that dude who swears a lot because I was in the mood to swear a lot at the time I was writing. Excuse me for Snow White having a fetish on that bloody chain fence. Excuse me if I'm not good with Regina/Emma speak if you don't think it's accurate… For some reason they don't sound right to me. Excuse me if I do not post as fast as this update coz its FTL again in the next chappie and even if I have a longer list of ideas for it, it's a bitch to write. Lastly, excuse me for my whiny author's note. Whatever else is wrong with this, excuse me.**

**Tl;dr Fuck this note, it's just shit.**


	5. Of Course It's Not A Trap

**AN: I'm posting this early because of reasons at the end of this chapter.**

**Fifteen Years Later**

_Land of Crepuscule - Blackwood Castle_

A man garbed in fine clothing tapped his ring-filled fingers impatiently on the arm of a chair. He did not notice the glamour of the room he was in. The skillfully carved long table. The beautiful flowers brought in by servants inside priceless pottery. Neither was he impressed by the delicate play of lighting the glass chandelier strewn about the room. He only painted a furious frown on his face and stared at the two black painted doors. He was alone inside the wide open room, sitting at the head of the table. It was more than past the time of attendance for their after-battle meetings and once again he was the first to come in. They had made him sit and wait for an hour and still no one has arrived. If he did not know better he would have thought they were meeting somewhere else, but that was not the case. He knew they were doing this on purpose. He had known for a long time. It was a blatant show of disrespect for his position, but he had taken it in stride.

Until now that is.

The sound of chatter was soon heard from behind the double doors. A servant opened the doors wide and men of varying ages walked inside. They kept talking amongst themselves while they sat across the long table. The man at the head was neither acknowledged nor was he subjected to any kind of greeting. To them he was invisible.

Unfortunately for them right now the man had little patience for their games. The man curled his tapping fingers tightly; not even mindful of the rings that cut in his palms.

"Silence." the man ordered.

The chattering men did not stop their talks, though some glanced at the man briefly.

"Silence." the man repeated in a firmer voice.

When the men still continued on the man stood in a slow but dangerous manner and slammed his curled fist on the table.

"I said SILENCE!" the man roared.

And silence he received. The men stopped their conversations and faced the head of the table with boredom.

"You are all late," the man kept his standing position, taking the advantage of height to stare down at the men, "As council members and high ranking soldiers in the army, I would have thought you of all people would understand when to be on time."

The councilmen merely stared at him as if they were listening to a droning song.

"Maybe each one of you should be demoted and replaced, since you can't even tell the time day." the man commented.

"With all due respect King Leopold-" a young man sputtered indignantly.

"Respect?" Leopold cut him off, "That would be a first, wouldn't it? So far you men have given me none."

"Why the bloody hell should we give respect to you for?" a middle aged man snorted. His black army uniform barely crinkled as he sat back in his chair, "Marrying the Blackwood Queen and sitting on your bum-warmed throne under a war? At least the Black Queen is more than man enough for both of you to stand in a battlefield."

The rest of the men snorted in amusement.

"Exactly that, gentlemen." the black king glared at the man, "And surprise, surprise. I am king now. So far you've shown me none, but disrespect. I as a man in the top most royal position shouldn't have any problem with banishing each and every one of you for just that."

The councilmen stopped laughing in an instant, but the man in a uniform did not let that scare him off.

"You think you are so high? You seem to forget that there's another person standing at the top," the man smirked. "The Black Queen would not let you banish us off."

"Well, General Lande, she's not here right now, is she?" Leopold hissed, "She's late just like all of you. She may even be late enough not to see your back riding a horse outside our city gates."

The man only raised his head stiffly and scowled at the black king. Leopold waited for anymore comments from him. When he was satisfied with the man's silence he sat arrogantly back down his chair.

Leopold continued on, "Now then, why don't we start this meeting-"

The black king was interrupted as the double doors burst. Billowing long skirts barely ruffled as the commanding presence of the black queen arrived. She wore the crisp uniform of the black kingdom's army and altered it to fit her form. A midnight black long sleeved dress shirt with glinting silver buttons. Instead of men's black slacks, a long pressed skirt that reached just below the knees took its place. Her hair was tied in a tight bun and standard black leather boots graced her feet. Her cold black eyes searched the room for any absent men in her council. Seeing none that were missing she strode briskly to the end of the table.

"Eva, so good of you to join us." the black king greeted his queen disdainfully.

Eva ignored him and faced general Lande upfront. "George, battle report please."

Leopold frowned immediately, "I was not finished with my talk, Eva."

George Lande rose from his seat. He brushed at his uniform and turned to Eva, "Our new cannons were very effective with the attack-"

"General Lande, sit down. I was not finished talking."

"-the poisons were working perfectly, but our men were prone to accidents which caused some deaths from our lines-"

There was a bang that made a few men jump in their seats. The scrape of a chair screeched loudly as Leopold stood again, "How many more times do I have to repeat myself just for you people to listen?"

"Leopold," The Black Queen raised a brow coldly, "what is it that's so important that has you straying from your usual muted boorish ways?"

"I'm ending this." Leopold spread his arms, "This war. I am ending it."

Eva scoffed, "And how will you be doing that, husband? Did you find something that will vanquish our enemies from the comforting seat of your throne?"

George sat back down his chair as he and the councilmen snickered at his petty theatrics, "It seems that he has been inside the castle too long, your majesty."

"That it seems." Eva agreed, scrutinizing the black king's expensive silk robes and jewelry.

"No, I have not found anything to cause mass destruction, thank you." Leopold scowled at the black general then to the queen, "We will be proposing an alliance with Twine Rouge."

Not a sound was heard after the declaration and the Black Queen was the one who strived to break the quiet.

"That's absurd. You're only a bastard peasant," Eva spat in contempt. "How will you even convince them to set an alliance with you? Sell them your body just like what your mother does?"

That seemed to trigger for the councilmen to let their own voices be heard. Shouts of furious objections spilled past the council members' mouths. The black king was sick of it already.

"Shut up! Out!" Leopold shook his head and slammed his palm repeatedly on the table, "All of you out!"

General Lande opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped by the queen raising her hand. The men around the table closed their mouths with a snap.

Leopold pounded his fist, "I said, out."

The two royals had locked both their eyes in a glare.

The men only sat still as they turned their heads to the black queen seeking instruction. Eva nodded, but never ceased glaring at Leopold. One by one the men stood and left. The last being George Lande narrowed his eyes as a warning to the Black King before closing the door with a soft click.

"We are going to propose this alliance whether you like it or not." Leopold growled.

"We only wage war because we either want power or we consider the opposition as a threat. Which do you think we are right now?" The Black Queen ignored his growl and questioned.

"The people of Twine Rouge are no such threat. They are the ones defending themselves against us. From the first battle we'd fought, they'd never been the aggressors."

"We? You never fought for anything. I've been in front of those battle lines far longer than you have been as king, Leopold."

"The locations of the battlefields have always been on Meridan's soil. If we just leave them be, I'm sure they would not be fighting with us!" Leopold reasoned.

"If we just leave them be, what of in the next year or in a decade? Will they realize that they have the power to crush us under their delicate feet doing nothing but wave their arms? What if their next leader becomes a tyrant? What then? It is good to be rid of them now when they are soft than when they turn ruthless!" Eva argued.

"We would have gathered a large amount of resources and increased our population to recruit more people for our army, that's what!"

"I don't know if you'd thought this through, Leopold, but so. Will. They." Eva tapped her finger at the last two words, "We've been progressing with our weapons. Our scientists have made better things to combat those magical beasts. Some of them have worked on biological weapons and improved our poisons. It is better to come at them now when they are weaker and depending on their magic tricks while we are learning through experience and research getting stronger!"

"Not all of our scientists and inventors can accidentally spill salt and immediately find ways to build us another weapon that can blow up an entire army." Leopold threw up his arms.

"It only takes a bit of time, but they do find better ways." Eva said adamantly.

"They took years to discover explosive powder and more years plus a large amount of resources just to improve mere poisons when it was working fine as it was. It may have worked on the enemy's men, but it took half of our army as well. Not only that, but the opposing side countered our years of progress in a matter of minutes. Are we going to be living for decades in constant battles for us to fail again with this large amount of bloodshed and for you to be satisfied?"

"Yes," Eva answered determinedly, "if that is what it takes we will continue this until we free ourselves of those vermin."

"You will squeeze this land dry before we ever win!" Leopold shouted.

"I'll sacrifice every men, every spec of resources we have; food, metal, water. Every last second of this century and my life to rid ourselves of the threat that is magic." Eva hissed.

"I can't believe our council members even listen to you." the black king shook his head in outrage, "You would rather our land, Crepuscule, crumble beneath our feet!"

"Better our hands than the enemy's." Eva said with false mirth, her eyes declared a seriousness Leopold has more than seen before.

"You are bloody mad, woman!" Leopold spluttered in shock.

"I am ambitious and determined. If you see that as mad, very well, do so. But make no mistake, settling an alliance with those monsters will not stop our people from being frightened and those abominations to decease looking down at us like filth."

"I am saving our lands and our people unlike you. You're deteriorating it! Destroying us!"

"Is this alliance your stupid idea for saving our people? Really?" Eva laughed in scorn, "Or is it some sick twisted concoction in your mind that told you you're losing your kingdom before your time?"

"I am trying to save our people their lives." Leopold insisted with a scowl.

"If you go through with this you will see yourself on a death bed caused by magic in an instant. I will be the one standing above you laughing at the end."

"I am king! I know what's right for this land and our people and this alliance is it."

"You are an illegitimate child of a Blackwood cousin. We only considered you for the throne because your whore of a mother tried to raise your rights against mine for the seat. You were lucky, you bastard, but don't even think for a second that I am not the one with power here. You are merely a peasant, born and raised, and you will forever be that peasant." Eva said viciously.

"A peasant turned king is still a king, _my queen_." Leopold spat the title with venom.

"Ha! You wish, peasant." with that the Black Queen spun and exited the room. "You wish."

Leopold scowled at the closed door in rage. He stood there for a minute trying to calm his breathing, but it was of no use. He grabbed his chair with two hands and slammed it above the table. He tried to lift the long table as well, but it was too heavy for him. That fact only seemed to enrage him further. He shouted in anger and frustration and pounded his fists on the varnished wood. The pain of beating hard wood with the flesh of his hand escalated until the black king was forced to stop. He heaved heavy breaths and he had calmed down some, but there was a notion in his head. Leopold pounded the table with his fist one last time before striding towards the door.

"Do not worry, Eva, I have already wished. But I will wish again just for you."

* * *

**One Week Past Fifteen**

_Land of Meridan – Twine Castle_

"How goes the last battle, Rumple?"

The red general took a glance at his queen and sighed deeply, "Not well, your majesty."

Cora sighed as deeply stroking the tip of a teacup in her hands. They were both sitting on one of the castle balconies having a cup of tea. The sun was high above as noon started. Birds chirped and flew near them.

"What happened?" Cora asked, sipping her tea briefly, "We've lost more than half our usual men this last battle."

"They've brought some kind of weapon that blasts a metal ball towards enemy lines. We were unprepared." Rumple slurped his tea in frustration, "They've also gone reckless and made a much more powerful poison that attacks any man spilled in contaminated blood. It killed both Black and Red soldiers in the field. We had our own healers take care of our own, but the idiots didn't even develop their own cure before setting it off. Cheers to their own arrogance."

"Or they're turning desperate." Cora remarked.

"Could be that," Rumple placed his tea cup on a stainless glass table with a clatter, "Lord knows they've never won any of their sieges before."

Cora sighed again, "It's been sixteen years, Rumple. Why do they still keep on doing these sieges?"

"There are a lot of possible reasons, Cora. Power over the whole world. Greed for our flourishing fertile lands. Thirst for our magic. Fear? Take your pick, there is many more. You can even choose all of the above, but I wouldn't be able to tell you why. Intentions are usually our own secret until exposed."

The red queen pursed her lips and set her cup down more delicately, "If they wanted power or greed, I don't think they would be so reckless as to kill off their own men."

Rumple laughed at a sudden thought, "Maybe they are waging war just for the sake of drawing blood. I know there are men who lusts for those."

"That is not funny at all, Rumple." Cora frowned, troubled at the idea, "If that were so then we'd be at war until one side is completely annihilated. I don't think I can keep doing this to our people."

The red general toyed with his ceramic tea cup, not looking at his queen, "I could help you arrange a siege towards Crepuscule, your majesty."

"Rumple…"

"Think about it, Cora. We've been winning against them in every battle we had engaged in." Rumple stared at Cora intensely.

"…Rumple… I can't." Cora protested weakly.

"If we destroyed them early on we would not be having this war happening for so long." Rumple pushed, "We've had the chance to end this for sixteen years and we still do. Just say so."

Cora bit her lip and tore her eyes from her general.

Rumple stared at the red queen, "I've always thought why you never ordered us to do just that. I know you do not like to talk about this, but I'm asking you now to try and understand, my queen. Why? Why not end this war yourself?"

The red queen thought for a time that she started to space out. She heard Rumple sigh and get up his chair. Rumple leaned against the balcony railing and stared at the vast lands beyond the castle.

She forced herself to look up at the man and let herself blurt out the words, "Revenge."

Rumple creased his forehead in a frown and twisted his head towards the sitting queen, "You want to keep this war for revenge?"

"No," Cora shook her head, "it's the reason. Why they keep attacking us. It's revenge."

"And how pray tell do you know this, your majesty?"

"A message," Cora stared down her lap, "their queen sent me a message a long time ago."

"What did she say, Cora?" Rumple asked, "What did she say that made you freeze yourself in the middle and stop moving?"

"I killed the love of her life. Her life. She wrote me that I was weak to use magic. That I was a coward and I took the easy way out."

"That's it? Cora, you know that's not much of a reason. With you not attacking and merely defending, it's looking more like you pity her for the loss."

"No, that's not just it." Cora raised her eyes to that of her general, "She challenged me. She told me in no uncertain terms that when we win a battle not using any magic, then she would stop."

Rumple considered this, "Then we won't use magic on the next battle."

Cora rubbed her wrists anxiously, "I don't think we could win. We've always used magic."

"We can try," Rumple urged. He walked to the back of his seat and clutched it stiffly, "There's a chance-"

"You know from our first battle with them that they're stronger. Their men, their weapons… We've been too dependent on magic, Rumple."

"We can train our men harder. Make our own weapons stronger."

"That would take years."

Rumple threw up his hands, "Then we make that siege on Crepuscule!"

"We need magic to defend in our own lands. What do you think we would use when we attack them in theirs?"

"Magic of course."

"Of course," Cora rolled her eyes, "magic. It will show just how dependent and weak we are to use the easy way out, Rumple."

"It is not only the easy way out, but the most efficient. It helps us have lesser damage to our own army and lower the chances of losing the lives of our soldiers." Rumple sat back down his chair.

"But they won't think of it that way." the red queen frowned.

"In war, you use the only weapons you have, your majesty. Magic has symbolized our kingdom since it was built. It is part of us. If the only weapon we have is part of you, then magic is our way to survive and achieve victory." Rumple scowled in frustration, "Who even cares about what they think?"

Cora was silent and Rumple's scowl burrowed deeper on his face, "I take it from your silence that you do."

They both sat under a tense atmosphere. That was how the newly appointed high guard found them.

"Is this a bad time, your majesty?" a gruff voice asked.

The red queen and general turned to face the newcomer.

"Graham," Cora greeted.

"Your majesty," Graham smiled then straightened his posture and saluted at the red general, "General Stiltskin,"

Rumple acknowledged the salute with a nod, "At ease,"

"What are you doing here, Graham? Where's Regina?" Cora smiled at the young man, "Aren't you supposed to be tied by the hip?"

"Yes," Rumple leaned back and inspected him, "you're her personal guard now. You should know better than to leave her alone."

Graham shifted uncomfortably under the red general's scrutiny, "She's in the castle's teaching hall assisting with the apprentice mages. The princess is a bit grumpy and didn't want me to hover on her shoulder so she kicked me out of the room."

Cora laughed, "You must have been overdoing it, Graham. She usually doesn't mind a shadow."

"Yes, well." Graham adjusted the collar of his starched red uniform, "I may have been too excited to be finished with my training. And it is my first day in the job."

"You do look mighty dashing in your new uniform, dear." Cora smiled and took in the red dress shirt, white pants, and brown leather boots. There was a black belt adjusted to his hip that held a long steel sword.

Rumple cleared his throat, "Was there something important you wanted to address, Sir Humbert."

"Right," Graham jolted, "I was walking by the castle perimeter since the magical sessions would take a few hours to end. There was a messenger at the front entrance that needed to deliver this letter."

He showed them a yellow parchment that was sealed with black candle wax, "It was a messenger from the Black Kingdom so the guards by the doors didn't let him pass."

"From the Black Kingdom?" Rumple narrowed his eyes at the letter, "Did you check it?"

Graham nodded, "I inspected it for any kind of harmful substances or curses, but nothing came up so I went to give it to you."

Rumple took the parchment and turned it over. He read inscription and frowned at Graham, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong with it?"

"No, nothing." Graham shook his head.

Rumple nodded and reluctantly held the parchment towards the queen, still suspicious of its contents. "It's for you, your majesty."

"For me?" Cora raised her brows curiously.

Rumple handed over the parchment when Cora reached for it. The red queen opened it without fuss and the general inwardly sighed in relief. Rumple turned his head to Graham as Cora read the letter inside. "You can go now, Sir Humbert."

Graham nodded at the dismissal and saluted. Rumple watched him leave then heard Cora gasp. The red queen's free hand was on her throat and eyes were glued to the letter.

"Your majesty, is there something wrong?" Rumple asked uneasily eyeing the letter.

"No. I don't-I don't think so." Cora blinked at the paper uncertainly.

"What is it,Cora?" Rumple asked curiously.

Cora stared at the letter a moment longer then raised her eyes to her general, "Rumple, they're asking for an alliance."

"An alliance?" Rumple stood up and stepped closer to the Red Queen and read the letter in her hands. The general scoffed, "That has to be some form of trickery. They're inviting us to their castle, to enemy territories, for negotiations? Did they think we were that stupid?"

Cora stayed silent in thought and Rumple already knew what she was thinking.

"Cora, you can't be considering this. They could kill us under their own roof."

"The letter stated that we could bring any kind of protection we have. That means we could be protected by safety charms and protective spells. It's an alliance, Rumple. We could stop this endless war with a single negotiation."

Rumple moved away from the red queen's side to lean on the balcony rails, "No, I cannot condone this, Cora. You should ask them to do this on neutral territory."

"And if they don't agree with that?"

"Then we don't go! They're dangerous enough as it is with their poisons. They could have already set up an assassination for all we know."

Cora stood with her hands on her hips, "Rumple, be sensible about this. It's an alliance."

Rumple shook his head, "I am being sensible, Cora. It is a trap. We're better off without an alliance instead of without a queen."

"Regina could still take over for me." Cora moved to lean against the rails next to the red general.

Rumple frowned, "You would trap her with responsibilities she doesn't want? She has refused the throne since the very moment you've proposed it."

"Yes, she's very adamant about teaching and studying magic instead." Cora blew out a breath, "But we can't just back down from this. We need to break this war. Aren't you tired of fighting?"

"I will fight for our lands till my last breath, your majesty." Rumple stared at his queen solemnly.

"But you are tired." Rumple simply slid his eyes away from the red queen and gazed beyond the balcony. Cora started again, "Rumple-"

"I am. I am tired." Rumple cut in and sighed, "I wasn't always so tired, you know. I've been an eager young soldier for the Ogre wars and I slowly rose up the ranks because of my ambition and my drive. I had a beautiful wife who loved me and a son who strived to be my equal in the army. Years into the war, my son was old enough to fight by my side. I was very proud of him that day. It was perfect. Everything was perfect."

"You've never told me of this before." Cora spoke softly.

Rumple closed his eyes, "It hurt me too much to remember and my men know when to keep quiet about certain things."

"What happened?" Cora gently inquired.

"My life was perfect and I couldn't bare the thought of losing that life." Rumple shook his head as if trying to banish the pain, "In a moment of weakness I let my fear overcome me. I made a terrible mistake and it cost me both of them."

"Oh, Rumple…" Cora touched Rumple's arm, "I'm sorry."

"I kept on with my duty as a soldier and before I knew it I was a general." Rumple opened his eyes to stare at sympathetic browns, "War does nothing, but shed blood and create pain."

"Then please, Rumple, at least we should try this alliance." Cora urged in determination.

Rumple thinned his lips in a stubborn line.

Cora had to squeeze his arm and gaze at him pleading, "We shouldn't let this war go on further, Rumple."

Rumple kept silent a moment more then let out a frustrated breath.

"Those eyes will be the death of us, your majesty." Rumple frowned at her pleading gaze and sighed, "Send them a letter requesting a neutral location."

"And if they don't want that?" Cora pouted.

Rumple's lips formed a thin line, "Then we take our best witches and wizards to protect us in our travel to Crepuscule."

Cora smiled, "I knew you would see it my way."

"Let's just hope that if Regina does take over, she wouldn't have inherited any of your manipulative expressions." Rumple grumbled.

"Oh, Rumple." Cora shook her head playfully, "She was the one who taught them to me."

* * *

"Thank you for the help today, princess. I hope to be seeing you again tomorrow."

A purple robed princess walked out of magic enforced doors and smiled at the magic instructor. "Oh, I'm sure I will. Thank you for having me."

"You are always welcome, princess." The door to the teaching hall squeaked as the magic instructor shut it closed.

Regina adjusted the skirt of her red dress under her robes and felt a presence behind. She twisted her head to look over her shoulder and couldn't help, but narrow her eyes, "Graham."

The high guard grinned sheepishly, "Hey."

The princess turned to face him. She crossed her arms and frowned at her bodyguard, "I don't think you have anything to grin about, Sir Humbert."

"Well, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Graham scratched the back of his neck.

"Ahuh," Regina raised a brow, "You were so near my private space that I elbowed you eighteen times by turning a few inches."

His grin was lost suddenly and his shoulders drooped, "Okay, I admit I was a bit over the top with guarding today."

Regina uncrossed her arms to gesture the space between them, "We were so close that we were breathing the same air. You know, I wouldn't have minded if you were my lover, but you're not so you just plain annoyed me. It even started to weird me out a bit."

"Princess…"

"Don't 'Princess' me." Regina scowled sternly, "I almost spilled a whole bottle of nitric acid on my burn potion. Not only would we both have to be skinless if that brew exploded in our faces, but we'd have to be stuck in the hospital wing for who knows how long."

"You know it's my first day and my training..." Graham tried to reason.

Regina raised a hand that made the high guard trail off, "Yes, I know. You said that your training needed you to be attached to my hip to protect me, but I think whoever told you that didn't mean it quite literally."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Graham apologized glumly.

Regina sighed at Graham's slumped form. He looked like a sad puppy that just got kicked. The princess rolled her eyes and spun on her feet. She moved to walk through the castle halls and called without turning, "Escort me to my rooms please, Sir Knight."

The high guard perked up at the title and ran to the princess side, "That's the first time someone's said that title to me. Please say it again."

"When you earn it, Humbert." Regina smirked, "When you earn it."

"Oh, I have earned it." Graham's chest puffed arrogantly, "Trained a few years, learned from the best, you need a knight? Call me any night."

Regina huffed a laugh, "Is that supposed to be your new slogan or some form of corny pick-up line?"

"I know you can't help but think it's catchy." Graham grinned satisfied with his new phrase.

"That would be the day." Regina snorted in amusement.

"Pshh," the high guard nudged his friend with an elbow, "The women at the pubs are going to be forming a line in front of me. Wanting a piece of Humbert ass."

"You seem more like a ham than an ass to me." Regina remarked casually.

"Hey!" Graham complained, "You can't be mean to the help, boss. They might just stop taking their jobs more seriously."

The two of them walked under a small arch tunnel and made it to the royal quarters.

"I'm your boss now? I thought that was my mother." They walked a few more and stopped at Regina's door.

"Of course you're my boss." Graham leaned on the door frame, "You're the one I'm giving my body for protection."

"You can keep your body," Regina scoffed as she opened her door her eyes still on Graham, "I can take care of myself."

"That you can, my dear, but that doesn't mean you don't need a bit of help every now and then."

The princess turned at the sound of the voice.

"Mother!" Regina exclaimed. She walked closer to Cora and kissed her cheek, "How was your tea with the general?"

"It was fine, dear." Cora smiled at her daughter, "There's something important I have to tell you."

"Your majesty," Graham pushed himself from the door frame and bowed at the red queen's presence.

"Graham!" noticing Regina's new bodyguard by the door, the red queen was suddenly distracted, "How was your first day?"

"Oh, it was very exciting, your majesty." Graham rubbed his side, "We were being chased and I kept getting elbowed in the gut by some thug. Then me and my charge here almost got sent to the hospital wing from an explosive assassination."

Cora blinked at her daughter incredulously, "Is that what happened?"

Regina elbowed her guard for the terrible story and Graham had to cough out a breath, "There's that thug again, elbowing me in sensitive places."

The princess elbowed him once again for good measure, "He's kidding, mother."

"Oh," Cora nodded in understanding and faced the high guard, "Graham, dear. I'm relieving you of your duty. I'm sure you'd want to celebrate the end of your first day."

"Yes, of course. I shall leave you to your talk. Have a nice night, your majesties." Graham bowed at the two royals and grinned roguishly, "The ladies from the pubs await."

"Horndog." Regina whispered to the leaving guard.

Graham merely winked at her and giddily strode away.

Regina closed her door and walked towards her mother. The princess had taken off her purple robes and hung them on a coat rack near the door. Cora had sat herself on the bed and invited Regina to sit next to her with a pat.

"What did you want to talk about, mother?" Regina smiled softly at the red haired woman and leaned her back on a bed post.

"I have to go away for a while to discuss important negotiations," Cora took her daughter's hand.

"Important negotiations?" Regina asked raising a dark brow, "Important negotiations with whom?"

"The Black Kingdom," Cora answered grimly.

"The Black Kingdom? That's unusual," Regina creased her forehead, "is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong." Cora stroked Regina's hand, "They proposing an alliance."

"An alliance? After all this time trying to ravage our lands, why stop now?" Regina said curiously.

"I don't know," Cora spoke uncertain, "but they do want to hold the negotiations on their castle in Crepuscule."

"This is starting to sound like a bad idea, mother." Regina frowned, "They may be luring us there for a trap. An ambush might have been already set while we pass through the terrains. There's a high chance that we wouldn't even make it half way there."

"They agreed to us bringing magic for protection, so I will be taking some of our most competent witches and wizards." Cora squeezed her daughter's hand, "And you will not be going with me."

"Why not?" Regina sat up in disbelief, "I am more than competent enough to join you!"

"General Stiltskin has a notion that the negotiations are just that, a trap, and I need to be sure you are safe."

Regina jerked her hand away from her mother and stood irritated, "So you're just going to leave me here while you risk your life?"

"I'm taking two of our Elders out of five. I will be perfectly fine." Cora insisted.

"No," Regina shook her head, "I'm still going with you. I'm as powerful as one of the Elders."

"Regina, don't be stubborn. If you go with me and we both fall into their trap, no one else would stand as queen. Our kingdom would be helpless!" Cora reasoned.

"I don't want to be queen, mother, you know that." Regina stood her ground, "You are not going to fall into any of their traps and I'm going with you to make sure you get home safely."

Cora shook her head authoritatively, "No. You are not going."

"I'm twenty-four years old, mother." Regina crossed her arms, "I am old enough to do whatever I want, so I'm going."

"Regina, I am your mother." The red queen stood and crossed her own arms in a stern manner, "I have the authority as a parent to ground you for as long as I like. So when I say you are not going, then you are not going."

"Mother, you can't do this!"

"Do what?" Cora pouted in mock innocence.

"You can't just threaten to ground me like that!" Regina protested.

"Well, I am most certainly doing this, Regina." Cora raised her head haughtily and sat back down on the bed, "Even when you find a husband. Even when you are sixty. Even when you can form an impressive array of fire magic that can outdo a flaming phoenix with a mere flick of your fingertips, I can still ground you whenever I like."

"Please, mother." Regina kneeled down and looked up to Cora with chocolate brown eyes, "I'm not as busy as the other Elders and I've been only tutoring apprentices for a while. I've nothing to do here, but worry about your wellbeing. Let me go with you."

Cora kept her hands locked on her knees and Regina reached to hold them gently. The red queen willed herself not to fall for her daughter's charms, but she was starting to wane. Regina's lips quivered and her eyes softened further, "Please mother?"

Cora huffed and she could already see a glint of victory on Regina's eyes. Cora glared at her and the tiny glint disappeared under teary pleading browns. The red queen broke down in an instant.

"Alright! Alright!" she threw her hands in defeat, "Turn off the glittering eyes. You don't need to convince me anymore."

"Okay," Regina dropped the heartbreaking expression and smirked in smug triumph. Cora had to roll her eyes at her daughter's antics. The princess stood from her kneeling position and sat back down the bed, "do I need to bring anything with me?"

Cora sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She thought about her earlier actions and comments to the general. "I was not joking when I told Rumple I learned manipulative expressions from you." Cora muttered under her breath.

"Pardon?" Regina raised a brow.

"Nothing, dear." Cora hugged her daughter and stood to leave, "You can bring anything you want, but pack a month's worth of clothing and some ball gowns. We will be travelling for negotiations as well as attend the Blackwood princess' birthday ball. She will be turning fifteen in two week's time. The Blackwood King has decided to invite us to join since we will already be there for the month."

"A birthday ball. I hope it's as fun as the ones I have." Regina smiled brightly as she made her way to a large closet.

"I hope so too. With luck, it might drown out the political tension throughout the business end of our trip." Cora opened the door, "We're using the portals so be down with your luggage half an hour after sunrise. And Regina…"

"Hmm?" the princess answered absently as she sorted through her clothes. The red queen waited until Regina's attention was back to her, "Yes?"

Cora stared at her daughter seriously, "Please, don't make me regret this."

"You won't, mother." Regina nodded her head determinedly, "I promise you won't."

With one last look into her daughter's eyes, the red queen exited through the door.

* * *

**LONG ASS FUCKING NOTE – PROCEED IF YOU DARE or just drag the scroll bar to the bottom and read the tl;dr thingy.**

**AN: About me;**

**Hey guys, I'm probably going to be out for a while. My mom's shipping me to my cousins because we're supposed to be poor and Christmas at their house is filled with food that will make me very fat but very happy. Unfortunately my cousins are pretty anal about their computers. They'd never let me share more than 2 fucking minutes. Can't even check my mail and shit. I might come across some cheap net cafes or something, but probably won't because their part of the country is mega fucking lush and stuff and god sometimes I wonder why they're so expensive when their net connection and computers are set on slow motion… **

**Might not post until the 5****th**** of January? Or 10****th**** since I still have to type? Probably, I dunno. If I don't post after those dates, it means I'm bumming out on you so bite me… (Literally coz I won't be moving if you don't make me) It's that or I died in a plane crash because my mom bought cheap airline tickets that were on sale. Thinking about the plane makes me want to puke and have lots of morbid thoughts about dying.**

**Okay, you know what, let me just fucking shut my brain and my mouth now. **

**AN2: About the story;**

**This chapter isn't finished yet. It's practically cut off at the middle. I didn't even edit this very well and I feel crappy about it. The birthday ball should have been written in with the introduction of Snow and Daniel and a lot of others – maybe two to three more people? Four? I'm sorry I can't count to save my soul – on FTL… but it's turning up long already and I decided to just post it. When I get back I'm going to toss a coin and either continue on from this or move forward to Storybrooke again. The latter would be completely shattering my sense of unorganized planning, though. **

**Some of the stuff in this chap is not set in stone, like conversational structures that I might not like later on and the years? I'm not sure of it yet because I'm hesitating between Regina meeting Snow as a depressed kid, an angsty teenager, or a depressed angsty teenager. What do you guys think? Or girls if you're offended to be referred to as a guy… **

**Excuse me if King George's last name is wrong. Yes, George Lande is King George, I didn't just name him that because I like his name. I never bothered to research his Storybrooke name on OUAT wiki. I researched Graham's name and all the dwarves even the blue fairy, but bleh I'm settling on just calling them whatever. **

**Also, fuck, I think I let Hook possess Graham in this chapter when I reread it. D; I always thought that Killian Jones was more the ladies' man. But to be honest, I wasn't even really thinking of Hook, more like that guy Dyson from Lost Girl when he got soul switched with Kenzi. ._. (You know you didn't have to read this)**

**May also stop the Master Chef sneak peeks coz I'm just putting up my head prompts without any thought to planning chapters and end up writing more than I can chew… Or is it think? Since it's supposed to be eating more than you can chew and you know- okay, shutting up. –Flips fucking table– FUCK THIS.**

**Tl;dr again: Thank god you didn't read my shitty nonsense, you fucker. You might have been disappointed to know I'm not updating for a while.**

**(I am sry, I am coffee high and anxious about my surprised plane flight to lush city)**


	6. Kids These Days

**AN: Are people still reading this? Oh, well.**

* * *

"NO MAGIC?!" Jefferson screeched his face contorted in horror.

"Now, Jefferson, before you do anything-"

Jefferson suddenly bellowed a laugh surprising Regina in the middle of her sentence. The mayor's face was riddled in confusion until the man's continuous laughter brought indignation up on the surface. She huffed scowling and crossing her arms. She waited for the man to take a breather, but his lungs seemed to be built for excessive laughing. Regina rolled her eyes and finally spoke up over the laughter.

"Whenever you find the time to finish this burst of hysterics, please explain to me what you find so humorous about this situation?" Regina said still scowling at the man. Seeing the woman's face Jefferson only laughed harder and tears streamed down his cheeks from whatever amusement he found at Regina's declaration. "Okay, take all the time you need."

Regina resisted the impulse to throw her arms up and snap at him. She maintained her irritated composure frowning at the laughing man. She waited painstakingly for the man to get over his laughing spree. Regina felt it dragged on for hours, but after exactly two minutes and eight seconds Jefferson had stopped. His breathing was relatively normal with an enormous grin on his face.

After his surprising burst of laughter Jefferson spoke, "You almost got me there, princess."

"What?" Regina's peeved expression gave way to a tight lipped confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You know," Jefferson giggled and nudged Regina with an elbow, "You said that there's no magic."

"Well, yes. That seems to be the case, but you don't see me finding anything funny about that." Regina gestured with a hand, "So please, tell me. What's there to laugh about, Jefferson?"

"It's funny because you are clearly trying to fool me, your majesty." Jefferson giggled once more at the thought. He suppressed the burst of laughter bubbling inside his puffed up chest, "That was a very amusing joke I laughed so much."

"I am not joking." Regina said blandly.

"I'm sorry to pop your bubble, princess." Jefferson sniffed in an amused manner, "You know I am an Elder. I can't be fooled that easily and to be honest I doubt any low ranking apprentices would have been fooled by that. We, as any being born with an affinity to the magical elements, sense magic and all that's affected by it."

"I know that, but-" Regina was interrupted as Jefferson kept on his ramble.

"To tell you the truth, I was surprised that you would have tried to test my abilities with that. And with something so pathetically easy." Jefferson scoffed and shook his head offended, "I would have thought you would've known better. I mean, seriously, using that meager excuse of a joke on an Elder."

"Jefferson-" Regina tried again.

"I was really offended, your majesty. Like… really, really, offended. And so I got you back by feigning dramatic horror. I mean, wow. The face you made when you thought I was going to blow up. That was funnier than your joke. Haha. Man, that was so funny I can barely hold in another laugh."

"Jefferson." Regina snapped her fingers in the Elder's face, "Jefferson!"

"Oh my god, your majesty, please." Jefferson whined backing away with hands raised, "Please not near the face. That is terribly irritating."

"Now I know what to do to stop your rambling rants. You are as irritating as I for always interrupting me." Regina placed her hand on Jefferson's arm to steady him and aimed a serious look towards the Elder, "I'm not joking, Jefferson. I'm serious about there being no magic."

"Princess, there's no need to keep up with this joke." Jefferson smiled, "I know for a fact that there is magic. I can feel it in my bones, in my blood, in my heart, heck even in my loose noggin. There is magic in Storybrooke."

"No, there isn't." Regina denied.

"Yes, there is." Jefferson rolled his eyes childishly, "Although it's faint it is definitely here with us in Storybrooke. Right here, right now."

"I've tried to connect through the magic's waveline so I could use some of the faint magic you just mentioned and there was nothing." Regina threw up her hands impatiently, "I needed it to help me with the brute that was chasing me and trying to beat me to death, but do you see me looking like I escaped?"

"Oh," Jefferson blinked and scrunched his face at Regina's beaten state, "Wow, what happened to you?"

"You're only asking this now?" Regina glared.

"Well, excuse me. I just noticed." Jefferson sniffed haughtily, "And that can't be. Maybe you just haven't used the waveline right."

"Jefferson. I am my mother's daughter." Regina spoke as if she were speaking to a three year old, "My mother who is the red queen. The princess of a land built in magic. I've been with magic since before I learned how to breathe. Do you think I would mess something so simple as to connect with a magical source?"

Jefferson scowled, "There's a first time for everything princess."

"Great!" Regina scowled as well, "Insult my magical ability a little more, why don't you?"

"I'm just saying that maybe, just maybe, you weren't in the condition to perform any magical spells at the time, your majesty."

"Or maybe you should check your own aptitude for magic before judging other people's skills. Why don't you try using magic, right now? You may find out that yours isn't all that you make it out to be!" Regina snarked.

"Fine! I'll use magic right now!"

"Fine, go on then!"

"Fine! I will! What do you want me to do?"

"Conjure me an apple!"

"Hah! That's easy! Look and see!" Jefferson threw his arm out with his hand opened, palms up. Regina waited for an apple to appear in his hand and after a few seconds she found what she had expected. No apple materialized on Jefferson's hand. The Elder gritted his teeth and gripped his wrist as if squeezing the apple out of it.

"Well…? Where is it?" Regina smirked smugly.

Jefferson threw his hand again, but nothing appeared on his open palm. He repeated the motion a couple more times before shaking his arm roughly. "Ugh!"

"I'm waiting." Regina cooed mockingly.

"GRAB FRAGGLE SCROODLE! I'm better at making portals anyways!" Jefferson jumped from the bench they were sitting on and made elaborate motions with his arms.

Regina rolled her eyes at the man's useless attempt at using magic. Jefferson's eyes closed and his face pinched into one of intense concentration. A drop of sweat crawled down his face as he drew close to finishing his movements. He threw both of his hands palm down on the concrete as his final action. He stood there with bated breath and closed eyes as he waited for the familiar sounds of a portal opening. Thirty seconds he stood and thirty seconds he wasted waiting for nothing. Jefferson, eyes still closed, whined and kept his eyes tightly closed in a desperate attempt to delay being slapped with the inevitable truth.

"Jefferson…" Regina prompted softly.

"There's no portal is there?" Jefferson's lip trembled, "There's no portal."

Regina's lips thinned, "No."

"No?" Jefferson slowly opened his eyes and slumped back down on his seat, "No…"

"No," Regina repeated, "I'm sorry. As I've said before, there's no magic."

"Oh, Meridan, how will we get home?" Jefferson whispered then raised his hands to his face. He whimpered as his eyes widened in bona fide horror, "Sweet Jegus… N-No magic?!"

He started breathing erratically as his mind absorbed their situation. Jefferson's eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted in a dead heap. Regina tried to reach for him, but he fell on the side of the bench they were sitting on. She peaked at the unconscious Elder from her seat and couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips.

* * *

"David…"

Emma gazed her eyes at the man standing above her. She stood still on the stairs warily waiting for him to make a move, but he just… stood there.

"Emma," Snow said her name and Emma reluctantly took her eyes away from the silent man, "Are you going to take this piece of paper or not?"

Emma sighed, "Come on, Mary Margaret. Whatever's in that piece of paper is not going to help me."

"I told you already, Emma." Snow shook her head slowly, her smile still on her face, "My name is Snow Blackwood of the land of Crepuscule. It's not Mary Margaret."

"Land of what? Creeps?" Emma asked.

"Crepuscule." Snow repeated.

"Damn, first it's merry land. Now it's creep-o school." the blonde muttered and shook her head.

"It's a separate land from Meridan. Another continent if you want to call it that." Snow patiently explained.

"Mary Margaret, can you please snap out of it for one second and hear how crazy you're talking?" Emma pleaded.

Snow's eyes flickered with something Emma couldn't catch and the pixie haired woman pulled back her outstretched arm slowly, "What you're saying is ridiculous. I'm not crazy, Emma. You know that."

"As of earlier, I'm not really sure." Emma frowned.

The smile fixed on her face never left, but Emma thought that the pixie haired woman looked a tad bit manic. It made Mary Margaret seem as crazy as what she was talking about. She looked uncertainly at David and then to Mary Margaret who was stubbornly calling herself after a distorted fairy tale character she made up in her mind. She was worried about the condition of the two other people in the room. Mary Margaret's brain was somehow warped into thinking she was someone else and David was being as quiet as a mouse. There wasn't anything wrong with being quiet, but there was something… dangerous in the air around him. Even being five steps away from the man all she wanted to do right now was to take Henry and leave from this place. This town. Her instincts were warning her, screaming at her even, that she get out now with Henry, but Mary Margaret is her friend. She should at least try one more time with her.

"Mary Margaret, we need to go to the hospital."

Snow's smile twitched, "Emma, I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Please reconsider." Emma took a glance at the still silent David. She was curious as to how the man could only stand there and do nothing. "The hospital doctors would probably know what's wrong."

Snow crumpled the paper in her hand and gritted her teeth under her tense smile, "I don't need a hospital. I am perfectly fine."

"I don't know about that. We could just go there for ten minutes to see what's going on and we'll leave." Emma insisted, now cautiously staring at David. She didn't notice how Snow was breathing shallow breaths and huffing angrily with a reddened face.

"I said. I said…" Snow whispered then shrieked and stomped her foot harshly on the floor as the blonde would not even look at her as they spoke, "I don't nEED A FUCKING HOSPITAL!"

Emma whipped her head back and spluttered, "Mary Margaret…?"Her eyes widened taken aback by hearing her friend talking like that.

"I AM NOT MARY MARGARET, YOU BITCH!" Snow shrieked at her.

Emma would have stepped back from the sudden amount of venom aimed at her if she weren't in the middle of the stairs. She settled with blinking and gaping at Snow like a fish. She was even more shocked by her friend's vicious features. The pixie haired woman was breathing heavily, eyes wild. She had a terrifying scowl on her face and an ugly snarl on her lips. Emma for once felt a trickle of fear come over her senses because of the woman in front of her.

"Snow? Charming?" Henry called, "What's going on?"

Hearing the boy Snow brushed at her sleeves to calm herself. She immediately composed her features back to the smiling innocence she had appeared before. After a second it was as if the moment before never happened. If Emma wasn't so sure that she'd seen it herself, she might have thought she only imagined the ugly snarl and hearing her friend cursing her out.

But she did see it coming from Mary Margaret's mouth.

Mary Margaret was nowhere near like the woman from earlier. Right now she looked like a shining white angel with her soft eyes and a wide gentle smile. Emma didn't know whether the drastic change was Mary Margaret being affected by the epidemic or Emma herself was starting to hallucinate. Fuck. Maybe that was the case. She was already infected by something and she was sick. She probably needed help from the hospital herself. Before she could think of it any further Henry appeared above the stairs next to David.

"Emma!" Henry bounded down happily as he saw Emma. He dragged his birth mother down the stairs to the living room, "We need to have a meeting about Operation Cobra."

"Uh, kid," Emma warily eyed the now innocent looking Mary Margaret as she passed her. She could hear heavy foot steps behind her and knew it was David going down the stairs. Henry led her to the couch where she was forced to sit on. "If we're going to talk about Operation Cobra, don't you think it's better to be somewhere more private? Maybe go out to your castle?"

"No. It's okay." Henry assured, "We don't need to go out and Snow and Prince Charming are going to join our meeting."

"What, why?" Emma whispered. Mary Margaret daintily sat on a comfy chair next to the couch with David hovering over her, "Didn't you say at first that this mission was just for the two of us?"

"Well yeah, but don't you see?" Henry grinned widely, "We're all family. We're finally complete. You and me and your parents!"

"But Regina-"

"That's right, Emma." Snow smiled at Emma and then at Henry, "We're all a family. We would be hurt to know that you're harboring any secrets from us or left us out from a chance to bond with our family."

"No, we wouldn't do that." Henry shook his head, "We're including you in our official Operation Cobra meeting. Right, Emma?"

"Um, sure, I guess." Emma hesitantly agreed. Her eyes cautiously suspicious of the couple, but then she tried to clear her head as she thought about what she was doing. She was being guarded before a school teacher and an animal shelter guy. She was being fucking ridiculous. She was the sheriff. She has a gun and years of bounty hunting experience. She can't believe that she was a little scared of what Mary Margaret would do. A school teacher! She was scared of a school teacher. Looking at Mary Margaret now, relaxed in a slump back on her chair, it was like any other day when they hung out at home.

Maybe she really was just starting to hallucinate. Everything was bordering on crazy. She shouldn't be surprised that something like the moment earlier was only from her imagination. And realistically speaking, there was an epidemic going. She should just brush off the crazies for now as part of her brain making stuff up.

"Yeah, feel free to join our party." Emma lounged on the couch cushions to force herself to relax. She didn't know why she even tried when she still found herself tensely eyeing David and Mary Margaret. Nobody seemed to notice though so she inwardly sighed in relief.

"It's a meeting, Emma. Not a party." Henry frowned at Emma's flat tone, "And can you please take this a little bit seriously. This is important you know."

"Sorry," Emma apologized sheepishly and when Henry kept frowning at her she rolled her eyes and raised her hands, "Okay, okay. Important curse breaking activities. I'm all for it."

Snow's eyes lit up, "What's this about 'important curse breaking activities'?"

Henry turned to Snow with an air of excitement, "Operation Cobra is our mission name for breaking the Evil Queen's curse."

"Yes, Snow." Emma added flatly, "We found out that the curse isn't broken yet after you kissed your true love. We need to find another way to break it."

Henry did not see Emma's effort at trying to be enthusiastic enough for him. He huffed petulantly and crossed his arms, "You know if you don't want to be here you can always just say so."

"No, no. I'm good. I want to be here." Emma raised a brow amused at Henry's huffiness, "And you know it's weird that you keep denying you're Regina's son when I'm pretty sure you got her expressions down perfectly."

"I'm not her son," Henry glared, "I'm yours. She's only my adopted mom."

"Really," Emma raised another blonde brow playfully, "That glare of yours is saying otherwise."

"She is the Evil Queen, Emma." Snow cut in, "It's not surprising that she's influencing bad habits upon our dear Henry."

Emma frowned at the sudden comment and was about to tell her off when Henry gasped and faced Snow with widened eyes, "Snow, do you think she put some curse on me?"

"Oh, very much so, Henry." Snow nodded simply, "It is quite possible for such a witch to place curses among the innocent. Even Emma has been affected by it."

"What do you mean?" Henry questioned curiously.

"Mary Margaret." Emma frowned at Snow.

"She doesn't remember us, Henry." Snow ignored Emma as she aimed her sad eyes at Henry, "She doesn't remember that we're her parents."

Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Mary Margaret, what are you trying to get at?"

"But, she was a baby when she was sent here." Henry wrinkled his nose in confusion, "How would she remember you?"

"Oh, Henry." Snow smiled patronizingly, "I was talking about her feelings for us as her parents. She doesn't remember our love for her. She doesn't sense us anymore and I think that is what's making her refuse to believe that there is a curse upon us."

"So," Henry thought about it and jumped in his seat, "if we get back her feelings for you she would believe the curse and possibly break it at the same time! Snow you are a genius!"

"That's right, Henry and you will further praise me because I also know how to break the curse on Emma's feelings." Snow brought up the piece of paper she was handing Emma before, "I have a list here of ingredients for a potion that could break it."

"Snow, you are brilliant!" Henry moved to hug Snow tightly, "I knew you could help us with the curse."

"I'm glad to help, dear Henry." Snow giggled and smiled wickedly at a gaping Emma, "I'm glad to help."

Henry pulled from hugging Snow and took the paper from her. He bounced towards his gaping mother, "Emma! We should go and get the stuff on this list! We're sure to break the curse now. My mom would never see it coming!"

"Oh my fucking god." Emma whispered under her breath as Henry continued to babble and wave the piece of paper like a flag. She couldn't believe what was happening. Did Mary Margaret just scheme Henry into making her do the stupid list? She stared at Mary Margaret grinning like a maniac behind Henry. She looked like the very same lunatic Gold was talking about with that manic grin on her face. "Oh my fucking god. I think I'm seriously starting to go crazy."

"What did you say, Emma?" Henry stopped waving the piece of paper around when he found his mother ignoring him to stare at his back.

Henry spun around to see what Emma had been staring at with a weird face. Emma continued to stare at Snow who changed back into an innocent smile when Henry turned to look at her. Henry crumpled up his face in confusion when he only saw Snow White sitting with a smile and the still silent David on her side. Henry turned back to his mother, "Emma, what's with the face?"

"Henry, I kinda wanted to tell you this before, but I wasn't so sure what to think of it so I put it off." Emma shook her head thoroughly and blinked a couple of times. She took a glance at Henry then turned back to Snow, "It's about your mom."

"My mom? The Evil Queen you mean?" Henry crumpled up his face all the more, "What about?"

"Your mom wanted us to leave town today because of an epidemic going around." Emma saw Snow's smile twitch, "And now that I've thought about it I've decided that it was best to go."

"What? No!" Henry scowled.

"She's only saying that so you can't break the curse." Snow said in a somber voice, though her face was anything but somber. Emma thought it was downright giddy at Henry's instant rejection. "She's trying to get Emma out of town so we wouldn't be able to do it, Henry."

"Snow's right, Emma!" Henry stomped his foot, "You shouldn't listen to the Evil Queen!"

"I made up my mind, Henry." Emma stood from her seat. She shook her head and briefly set her eyes on Henry to drive her point across, "Regina's just concerned that we're going to contract the bug going round. We're going for a quick stop at your house and get some clothes then we'll leave."

"No!" Henry shook his head forcefully, "I'm not going! I'm going to help break the curse!"

"Yes, please stay. We could use all the help we can, Henry. What would we do without our Savior? We're going to be stuck in this town without our happy ending." Emma's jaw tensed and she glared at Snow. She could almost hear the triumphant snickering going inside woman's head even as she sat there. She already had a child throwing a tantrum in her hands, she didn't need Snow's manipulative wiles making her problem worse.

"This is a conversation between me and my kid." Emma glared.

"You know I'm only trying to help." Snow faked a sigh, "We can't do this without you, Emma."

"They can't do this without you, Emma!" Henry agreed, "We can't leave!"

"You," tired of Snow's mocking Emma pointed a finger a finger at her, "shut the fuck up. You're not trying to help me at all."

"Hey!" Henry protested, "Don't talk to Snow like that! She's trying her best for the town!"

"Henry, would you please calm down?" Emma almost sighed in exasperation, but she managed to hold it in.

"Well, now. That was quite rude." Snow placed a hand on her mouth in an expression that could be seen as aghast, "Don't you think so, David?"

Snow nodded and patted David's arm as if he replied though he never said a thing. That made Emma more creeped out by whatever's affecting them.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I know you don't like following whatever your adoptive mom's instructions are, but this one I'm all for agreeing." Emma took Henry's arm and tugged him away to the kitchen. It wasn't very far from the couple who was sitting on the living room, but it was enough for there to be a private conversation. Emma bent down to whisper urgently, "Whatever's around town is making everyone crazy and I don't want you picking it up like Mary Margaret and David."

"There's nothing wrong with Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma! It's just their memories coming back." Henry jerked his arm from Emma's grasp. He had no problem with whispering, but his words seemed to come out in hisses. He was frustrated with his birth mother. Why can't she just believe that she was brought into this town for a higher calling? She was supposed to be the savior. She shouldn't be running away now. Henry wouldn't let her. He shook his head at his mother, "We're not leaving, Emma. We can't just leave!"

"Yes. We are." Emma frowned, "Your mom only wants you to be safe and from what I'm seeing of Mary Margaret and David they're not exactly what I would call as safe right now."

"They're perfectly safe!" Henry glanced at Snow and David then turned back to Emma, "How can they not be perfectly safe? You've been roommates with Mary Margaret for a long time and you know David gives away cute puppies as a job! You're being tricked by mom! I know she's just making you leave so you can't break the curse. I know it!"

"Look, Henry. Your mom may be a lot of things, but she loves you and when there's a dangerous epidemic going around the town making Mary Margaret into someone as conniving as she is right now I'm pretty sure that she'd want you to be protected first."

Henry didn't seem to hear any of what Emma just said and blurted the most possible thing in his head that could make Emma want to leave with him, "Is this because you're jealous?"

Emma raised her brows in surprise, "What?"

"You're jealous," Henry said flatly. He hadn't thought it was the case, but now it was making more sense that his mother would be just that.

"Of course not." Emma asked in a bewildered tone, "Why would you think that?"

"Because now I have Snow and Prince Charming to be with." Henry stated frankly, "Because I invited them for an Operation Cobra meeting which was only for the two of us and you looked like you were uncomfortable about it at first."

"Oh, I was uncomfortable," Emma frowned, "but not because of that."

"You know, it's alright to be jealous." Henry nodded knowingly, "I get it. You've been with me for a while and having to fight me off from the Evil Queen would have been tiring enough. Now you have to fight for my affections over two other people. It makes sense."

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, "Kid, it's not like that. Really."

"Then tell me that we're not just going to leave!" Henry scowled, "Tell me you're not just taking me and running away again!"

"Henry, this isn't me running away! This is me protecting you!" Emma dragged a hand over her blonde locks in frustration.

"Why don't you both stay long enough till we make the potion to break the curse and then leave?"

Emma jumped as Snow materialized next to them. Even Henry seemed to be surprised by the appearance and jerked slightly, his eyes wide.

"Shit." Emma blurted in surprise, "Jesus fucking Christ, woman, wear a bell."

"I don't think that's appropriate language to use in front of a child, Emma." Snow smiled gently and brushed Henry's hair.

"Fuck, I mean, fish? Shit, ugh. Crap-" Emma rubbed a hand over her face, "Whatever, he's already heard me curse out a few times anyway. What were you talking about?"

"Yes, well. I'm sorry to interrupt your private chat, but since you're so intent on leaving, why not just get the items on my shortlist. It really isn't that hard to get. A few hours in town maybe? You can go get some of Henry's things at the same time and be out of town by tomorrow." Snow finished and dropped her hand.

Henry's eyes lit up at the idea, "Yeah! That would be great! Do you think we can do that Emma?"

"I don't know," Emma was way too suspicious of the woman now to trust whatever she was planning, but Henry appeared as if he'd put all his hope out from his heart just to get her to say yes and she couldn't seem to make herself refuse, "Fine. We'll go through town today for the stuff and make a trip to the mansion."

"Yes!" Henry jumped up in joy and hugged Emma.

"Afterwards…" Emma pulled back with a serious face, "afterwards when we finish the shopping list we're going to leave town. You got it?"

"Yep, I got it." Henry saluted playfully, "Come on! Let's go get the stuff!"

Emma eyed Snow who was now leaning on the back of the couch and David behind her, "You guys coming?"

"Oh, no." Snow waved a refusal, "It's alright. You can both go without us."

"Aww," Henry slumped, "you're not going with us?"

"I'm sorry, Henry." Snow smiled sadly, "It's just that I thought you and Emma would love to have this time for yourselves. We wouldn't want to impose."

"We wouldn't mind," Henry assured, "won't we Emma?"

"Yeah, sure." Emma replied hesitantly. She warily eyed Snow White before walking up to the coat rack. She grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on, "You can do whatever you want."

"See, we don't mind." Henry smiled as he moved towards the rack to get his own jacket.

Snow smiled brightly back, "We only had our memories back and David and I decided that we'd like to relax here for a while."

"You and David decided?" Emma scoffed quietly as she waited for Henry to finish shrugging his jacket on, "I'm hallucinating big time because I didn't even hear a peep from the guy."

"What did you say?" Henry raised his eyes up to the blonde, "Emma, are you talking to yourself now?"

"It's nothing and no, I'm not talking to myself. Kinda just hungry." Emma deflected.

"Okay then." Henry turned towards Snow one more time, "You sure you're not coming?"

"No, you two go have fun." Snow smiled and waved awkwardly.

"Well, if you're sure you don't want to join us…" Emma opened the door and lingered halfway inside, "Come on Henry."

"See you later Snow! See you later Charming!" Henry shouted over his shoulder as he followed Emma out.

Snow turned to David after Emma and Henry exited the apartment, "That was exciting wasn't it, David?" Snow giggled as she bounded to her silent brute.

* * *

"Jefferson..."

Someone was calling his name. Someone from far, far away. Could be his mother's dead ghost. Better to just ignore it.

"Jefferson…" someone called again.

He groaned against the grass he was sleeping on. Why was there someone calling him at a time like this? Can't they see that he was sleeping? Why was he even sleeping? Hah, he didn't know what time of the day it was now but all he knew at the moment was that he wanted to sleep everything off and not think. Not think about his job. Not think about his life. Not think about problems. Not think about magic. Not think about magic. Not think about… Oh bladgersnatch, magic?

"Jefferson!"

His name was yelled in his ear. He abruptly opened his eyes and shrieked in surprise. He sat up almost bumping heads with the princess who had been hovering over his unconscious form.

Regina jerked aside, "Easy there!"

"Oh my ship." Jefferson whispered as he looked around him. They were still… wherever they've walked to, which was the park obviously. The bench he had been sitting on was next to him. He set his eyes on Regina, "What happened?"

"You fainted." Regina sighed and stood up from her squatted position.

"I fainted?" Jefferson sat still, puzzled by the fact that he was sitting on the grass, "I fainted."

"Yes, you fainted." Regina sat on the bench seat and hesitantly brought up the sensitive topic from earlier, "You fainted because we don't have magic."

"Oh my fragglestains, we have no magic." Jefferson raised his knees to his chest, wide eyed in his horror. "Oh my dear bugglescrews. Oh my glasses. Oh my fucking hell!"

Regina sighed again and leaned her head back with closed eyes, "We have no magic."

"We have no magic." Jefferson hissed in a frenzy, "How the gabble are we going to go home, your majesty?"

"I don't know," Regina stated truthfully, "I don't even know if it's safe to ever come back home."

Jefferson whirled his head towards the princess, "Y-you can't be saying!"

"It's a possibility." Regina opened her eyes to stare at Storybrooke's small park. She shook her head wearily, "There was so much going on and Snow had to put in such a sparkling star on top of an already elaborately decorated tree. I won't be surprised if our land died when we left."

"B-but, you can't just say that about our home, your majesty!" Jefferson sniffled, his eyes tearing up. "Meridan is-was our home, you know? A-and magic was our life! It's part of our very being! You just can't okay?"

"Jefferson," Regina turned to the partially crying man sitting on the grass. She felt her heart go out for him. Not wanting to upset the man further she delayed discussing the former topic and replacing it with a new one. "Why don't we go look for Grace? I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"Oh. O-okay." Jefferson let Regina grab his arm and tug him up. His eyes weren't crying tears, but his chest was heaving at the thought of their homeland gone.

"It's about three in the afternoon." Regina noted as she peeked at her wristwatch, "If my assumptions are correct, most of the children would have been in school. It's about time for them to finish now. We can wait at the bus stop."

"Okay," Jefferson and Regina walked silently side by side. They made their way through the park and passed shops and buildings. They arrived at the stop and waited for the school bus. "What are we going to do about the lunatic, your majesty?"

Regina pursed her lips, "I presume that once most of our people remember we will lock her up in the mental institution or at the station."

"That's it?" Jefferson grumbled, unsatisfied.

"Yes. That's it. It's not like we can use any other means of imprisonment for all that she's done to us." Regina crossed her arms just to fiddle with her blouse sleeve, "There's no magic. We can't go home. What else are we supposed to do?"

"Burn her at the stake?" Jefferson innocently pitched in.

Regina raised a brow, "That's a bit medieval for this time of the century, don't you think?"

"Maybe," Jefferson frowned, "though I wouldn't mind at all if that was what her punishment would be."

"This is another dimension. Another land. Another time. Unfortunately we're bound by law not to have people burning at the stake as punishment."

"She forced us to leave the lives we knew just because she hates magic. I think that's a good enough reason to slip past the law for once and burn her at the stake!" Jefferson kicked a foot on the hard pavement, "I can't believe we don't have magic anymore. My heart feels like it's burning an empty hole in my chest."

"I know the feeling." Regina rubbed the spot on her chest above her heart, "And then there's this magic waveline that keeps on taunting me."

"I KNOW! WHY DOES IT KEEP DOING THAT?" Jefferson brushed his hands roughly on his face then wondered, "Do you think it's only our nostalgia getting the best out of us?"

There was the sound of a horn and Regina was deterred from replying when the sight of the school bus greeted them. The yellow bus stopped before the street and its doors wooshed opened to drop a gaggle of small children. They got off the bus one at a time; some happily chattering about their day to classmates and some running off to parents who were waiting for them at the stop. There were a speckle of children and adults however who were warily walking up to their supposed counterpart like they were strangers, but they left with them just the same.

Regina heard Jefferson squeal in delight and found a little girl with elfish features and droopy eyes leaping out of the yellow bus.

"Grace!" Jefferson called out with enthusiasm. He waved his arm excitedly at his daughter, "Hey! Hey!"

Grace turned to look at him. She blinked and leaned her head to the side.

Regina, seeing the girl's slight motions, intercepted Jefferson with a hand on his arm, "Wait, Jefferson. We don't know if she remembers yet. She might think you're just a stranger."

"I-I what? A stranger? My Alice?!" Jefferson lowered his arm and whimpered, "She wouldn't do that! Sh-she would remember me! I'm her Papa!"

"Yes, but we need to be safe rather than sorry." Regina waved Grace over, "We wouldn't want you to be charged with kidnapping when she doesn't remember."

Grace saw the mayor waving her over next to the man. She considered walking closer to know what's up, but her father was waiting tensely by the side. He probably hasn't gotten rid of that headache from this morning. She glanced at the man next to the mayor and puffed her cheeks at him. She chewed on her lip in thought and shifted her eyes on the mayor again. She was still trying to wave her over. She knew she should be trudging home with her father now, but she was curious as to what the mayor wanted. The intriguing mayor or the lone parent? Such a difficult choice. Grace hummed and smiled making up her mind. She walked towards the mayor lithely. She decided to forgo the tense father waiting by the side for now.

"Madame Mayor." Grace greeted Regina.

"Grace." Regina smiled at the girl, "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure, what can I do for you?" Grace smiled back curiously. She thought it strange that the once cold woman was now smiling at her. And in a very warm manner, she may add.

Regina nodded to the man next to her, "Do you recognize him?"

Grace glanced at the jittery man standing besides the mayor and pursed her lips, "Nope. I don't think so."

"WHAT?" Jefferson bellowed in shock.

"I'm sorry mister, but I don't know you." Grace blinked at him slowly.

"You have to remember me! I am your father!" Jefferson declared, "I mean that is totally cliché, but I really am!"

"Ahum," Grace looked over the man's shoulder standoffishly, "are you sure about that?"

"About me being your father? Of course I'm sure!" Jefferson shifted agitatedly and slumped solemnly, "You-you really don't remember me?"

Grace only chewed on her lip and stared down her shoes saying nothing.

The man waiting for Grace heard the bellowed shout. He turned to look at the source when he saw his daughter talking to a strangely dressed man and the mayor. Seeing the commotion where his daughter was, Grace's lone parent walked up to them. "Excuse me. Is there something wrong here?"

"No. There's nothing wrong. We were merely asking this young girl here a simple question." Regina stepped up to address the man.

"Oh," the man nodded waiting for the mayor to elaborate. She didn't say anymore so he draped his arm over Grace's shoulder to take her away, "Well, Madame Mayor, if that's all there is then I would like to take her now. We have to go home."

"No, you can't!" Jefferson objected.

"Pardon?" the man turned a bemused expression to Jefferson. "I can take my daughter home whenever I want."

Regina tugged on Jefferson's arm in warning, "Jefferson, let this go for now. She doesn't remember."

"I said no." Jefferson refused with a shake of his head, "She's my daughter. I'm not letting him take her anywhere!"

"Now see here, mister." the man glared and poked a finger on Jefferson's chest, "I don't think you heard me right. She's my daughter. You're merely a straggler dressed in a strange purple coat. I won't have second thoughts charging you for attempted kidnapping."

"You can charge me all you want!" Jefferson clenched his fists and tensed his stance, "But I'm still not going to let you take my daughter away from me when we've been apart for so long!"

"Why you-"

"Stop!" Grace yelled above the arguing adults. The two men went silent and regarded the little girl between them. Grace sighed and raised her eyes to Jefferson, "Really, Papa, you just have to make up trouble, don't you?"

"Some oaf is trying to take away my baby and you're asking me that?" Jefferson shrieked then gaped incredulously, "Hey! You called me Papa! You remembered all this time?!"

Grace rolled her eyes and dropped her eyes to the ground, "Mhhm and I'm not a baby anymore. I'm ten years old."

"You remember?" Regina blinked at the girl's revelation, "Do you remember all of your memories or just a few so far?"

"I remember," Grace looked up to Regina and nodded once, "I think I have all of my memories. I remember you to be the princess of Twine Rouge. My name is Grace Allison Atter. Daughter of Elder and Gate Keeper Jeff Maderson Atter. My Papa gave me a white rabbit when I was seven. I'm known to be tardy for most of my magic classes. I like tea parties and I have the curiosity of a cat." Grace stared into space thinking of other distant memories, "I painted some white roses with red paint one time because I thought it didn't really suit our kingdom's colored theme."

Jefferson made an irked noise, "Oh, I don't think I'll ever forget that one."

"Me too." Grace murmured on a satisfied tone, "I had a lot of fun painting them red."

"Tell that to the castle gardener." Jefferson groaned and covered his eyes with the palm of his hand, "He was so mad."

"Regardless, the red queen thought it amusing at the time." Grace let out a small proud smile, "She was very pleased that I took an interest in refining our kingdom."

"You're only saying that because it wasn't you who was almost beheaded by a pair of garden scissors!" Jefferson took his hand away from his face to scowl at Grace. Though she appeared to not be the slightest bit affected by it, "The gardener made me his very own target since you seemed to disappear whenever he saw you."

"You could have just run away like I did." Grace reasoned haughtily.

"I didn't have the luxury!" Jefferson argued, "I had a job and I needed to man my station! Everyone knew where my workplace was. It was one of the most populated areas inside the castle grounds."

"Excuses, excuses." Grace stuck out her tongue for lack of a better argument.

They were cut off from their bickering when Grace's supposed father made a sound of pain and grabbed onto his head, "Princess? Elder? Red Queen?"

"Are you alright, father?" Grace asked in concern.

"Grace," Jefferson squeaked, "why are you still keeping up with this charade? He's not your father, I am!"

"Yes, yes. I'm alright, dear." the man assured Grace then growled at Jefferson and the mayor, "What I'm not alright with however is this man trying to take my daughter from me and the mayor standing there as if she were collaborating with hi- Ow! My head!"

The man stood swaying for a moment and the other three people stayed in silence till his eyes shot open in panic, "Where-what? Where am I?"

"Are you feeling well, sir?" Regina asked this time.

The man blinked and blanched when he recognized the woman in front of him. He immediately straightened his stance for a salute, "Your highness! Y-yes! Of course!"

"So you remember?" Regina raised a brow, "Are you one of the castle guards or general militia?"

"Yes, I remember." the man nodded rubbing his forehead tiredly, "And no, I'm not part of the guards, your highness. I am merely one of the knights in training. Wh-what happened if I may ask?"

"We tried to save everyone and it seems there were more complications that arose than we thought. We ended up burying our own memories when part of the spell was supposed to implant new ones to prepare us for another dimension." Regina explained dejectedly, "We've been living different lives for the past twenty eight years not knowing ourselves. I'm afraid this is my fault."

"Oh. Well. Okay." the man shrugged.

Regina blinked, "You don't mind losing twenty eight years of your life from my mistake?"

"Maybe if I grew older I would have complained," the man rubbed the back of his neck, "but I'm still the same age I've been since my last memories. Frankly, it doesn't really make much of a difference." he roamed his gaze around his surroundings, "And um… I guess you did save us. So even if I did grow older, I'd be happier to be alive than not. Last thing I remember was plain horror. I don't even want to think about it." the man's face turned a pale shade of green then sighed wearily, wiping a hand over his mouth. "I hope I have not taken any action that may have offended you before my memories came back."

"Don't worry. You've done nothing wrong," Regina smiled at the man.

"Nothing wrong? He tried to take my daughter!" Jefferson aimed a glare at the man.

"Jefferson!" Regina chided, "He had memories of her being his daughter."

"Whatever." Jefferson kept up his glare, "Are you still going to take Grace away from me?"

"No! Not at all." the man shook his head and raised his hands consolingly, "I apologize for the inconvenience. I didn't know that this girl was your daughter and so far I've known her to be mine for a long time."

Jefferson scoffed at that not willing forgive the man, memories or no, for trying to take his daughter from him. Regina had to elbow him and Grace raised both her brows at her father. "Papa."

Jefferson muttered garbled words, but Grace waited patiently. The Elder rolled his eyes when his daughter wouldn't let it go. He grumbled and sighed reluctantly, "Apology accepted."

"Thank you." the man nodded and bowed. He straightened up eyeing the princess worriedly. "I think I'd like to go home now, so I'll be seeing you around. Maybe you should go home too, your highness. You're looking a bit… ugh, beaten up?"

"I'm glad you've noticed sooner." Regina smirked grudgingly, "My companion here hadn't taken note of it until I mentioned it myself."

"Hey!" Jefferson pouted, "I was distracted!"

"That said I agree that we should all go home for the day. I don't know if I can endure another stressful circumstance that'll blow over until tomorrow. It doesn't look like people are going to remember everything by today. Let's hope everything will be fine for now." Regina nodded to the man then to Jefferson she said, "Call me if you stumble in on any kind of problem or you can just visit me at my house."

"No problem, your majesty." Jefferson smiled as the two turned to walk in different directions.

"Bye princess! Bye father!" Grace waved to Regina and her pseudo father.

"Grace!" Jefferson complained, "I'm your father! Not him."

"He was my father for twenty eight years. Longer than you've been my papa, Papa." Grace said bluntly.

"How could you say that to me, Grace?" Jefferson's face fell, "That is so mean!"

"I'm angry at you." Grace's lips curved into a frown, "That's also why I pretended not to know you."

"Why?" Jefferson whined unhappily, "What did I do?"

"You left me with new parents." Grace sniffed delicately and started to walk, "I think my actions were very much justified. Thank you very much."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Jefferson protested. He followed his daughter and breathed deeply for a terribly long explanation, "The queen was dead and the princess was the only one who was left to do it and she messed up the spell and we all got jumbled memories that was supposed to battle out the culture shock that we would have experienced after jumping through another dimension and the war and we were in a rush because time was running out and there was a deadly green mist – A DEADLY GREEN MIST – trying to kill people and people were trying to invade us and, and…"

Jefferson choked and began turning purple. He breathed in a large gulp of air as Grace hurriedly slapped him in the back repeatedly. She stopped and sighed in relief when her father started to breathe normally again. She reflected on what her father said before and addressed it accordingly.

"People were very stressed and you didn't do the spell so I guess that does excuse you." Grace nodded matter-of-factly, "But I was very distraught when I woke up in front of breakfast with my memories. I was living with two people who I consider strangers and you weren't there. I was also very frightened that you were left behind."

"I'm sorry about that, but I couldn't control the spell." Jefferson whimpered, "You know I would have stayed with you if I could, my little Alice."

"Yeah, well. I still thought it very strange and sad at the same time to have twenty eight years of memories without you in them." Grace wrinkled her nose sadly, "Especially when I remembered how scary it was last time we were together in the castle."

"I'm sorry about that too. I never really meant to leave you. There were bad guys and I didn't want any of them to hurt you." Jefferson stopped them in the middle of their walk to hug his daughter tightly. "I would have fought to stay with you like what I did earlier."

He sighed contently as Grace hugged him back just as tightly with her waifish arms. He felt very calm now that his daughter was back with him. They pulled away from each other after a couple of minutes. Jefferson squeezed Grace's hand as they walked down the street.

"We would have been together." Jefferson mumbled almost as an afterthought, "I wouldn't have had it any other way if I had a choice."

"Yes, I know that now." Grace nodded this time with a fond smile, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay." Jefferson shrugged then grinned happily, "I'm over it already because we've found each other again and we're safe!" Jefferson faltered as he thought about what the princess said earlier. The lunatic was here with them and he held onto Grace's hand tighter, "I mean we're still alive! Don't forget about that. That counts as a plus. A big plus!"

"Yeah, that is great." Grace agreed, but then sighed, "Papa, I feel weird."

"Hmm?" Jefferson gazed down at his daughter, his expression worried, "What's wrong?"

She stared down her shoes and mumbled on her chest, "I can't seem to jump anymore."

"Oh. I'm sorry that you can't." Jefferson grumbled sullenly, "You can't pop up from place to place now. It seems that there's no magic in this dimensional plane."

"But there's a waveline." Grace observed casually, "Surely there's magic with us. Why don't we go find the waveline and see why we can't connect to it?"

"Oh." Jefferson nodded, distracted by his sudden sadness at having no magic. "Find the waveline huh."

Grace stared up at her papa and raised a brow at him. Jefferson kept glancing at his daughter wondering what she was on about when something clicked on Jefferson's mind, "OH!"

"Papa?" Grace stared at her father, unaffected by his sudden exclamation, "Have you gotten it yet?"

"YES!" Jefferson squealed and grabbed his daughter in a bear hug. Grace could only hold onto his neck and cling like a koala on his shoulder, "You are brilliantly bright, my little Alice! I knew you inherited my magnificent brain!"

Grace hummed onto her father's shoulder, "I somehow always thought mama was the brains?"

"Of course not!" Jefferson scoffed and brought his daughter down gently on the pavement, "Don't be ridiculous! I'm much more smarter than that huss-husslegabble. To ever leave such a brilliant girl like you and such a marvelous man like me, I mean what was she thinking?"

"I'm kind of surprised that you haven't thought about looking for the waveline's source before this, Papa." Grace pointed out.

"Um uh, haha…" Jefferson coughed, "it's because usually there are more than one waveline we can connect to for magical resources. Once we know the line we're connecting to cannot be done we often ignore it and pass on to another. That's why I never thought about it before."

"Oh, I see." Grace nodded at her father's explanation.

"Never mind that. I'm reeling in very happy energy. You've brought this great news forward and there's hope that we could make it back home. Or at least get a bit of magic back in our lives." Jefferson held his daughter's hand as they skipped home. More like Jefferson skipped and Grace was content with simply walking. "I'll be sure to visit the princess so we can start searching tomorrow. It's been a very exciting day. I'm betting she would want a bit of rest."

"Mhhm." Grace agreed.

"I'm so glad we're together again, Grace." Jefferson grinned widely.

"I'm so glad we're together again too, Papa." Grace smiled gently.

* * *

**AN: YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ MY AUTHOR'S NOTES THANK YOU.**

**Okay, fucking finally. I had to like… bash my head in a few times just so I could get back up my rusty writing train. Ugh, I hate stopping things. Like you're doing something great and in the middle you just fucking do a 5 minute break and you feel like resting is such great awesomeness, why would you wanna get back up again? Thankfully after a two week break I didn't outright stop. Well, I actually did for two days. I really really really didn't feel like it so much that I won't even open my draft and instead I wrote something else lol. There was also the problem about my self esteem. It was on the verge of going negative after reading awesome fanfiction while on vacation. Like they got more depth or that they're more interesting or they're just fucking great because they are. BLUGH. The only thing that drove me back to writing was my laziness. I fucking hate chores more than writing so I put off chores by not putting off writing this… **

**AN2: I did not toss a coin to know which side I was going to write this chapter in. I figured that the FTL part is going to be long again after this so I just continued on to Storybrooke. I hate this chapter a bit. I somehow forced it out of me and that thought makes it kinda sucky, ya know? But at the end I did feel better about it coz you know at least I wrote something? AND I DO LOVE HENRY BEING A DOUCHE. Douche!Henry is so fucking awesome. People should write him as a douche more often. I don't like him as a goody-goody at all. Someone recommend me douchy Henry fics please.**

**AN3: There was also that point where my mom was always talking about how we're going to make riches out of this story whenever I'm typing. It was such a turn off. She doesn't know I'm writing fanfiction. Then she just had to say something like 'what the living fuck is the point of wasting time writing if it's going to get you no fucking cash?' She did not say it like that, but that was what she was hinting. I was like in my head 'mom can't I just write it because I like writing about a fucking TV show about Disney princesses and highly subtext lesbian couples?' of course she did not hear anything from inside my mind and sometimes I just wish she was that bald guy from xmen,Xavier... But then I realize how much fanfiction is really going on inside my brain when I'm thinking. And wow, smut, smut, oops, was that a fucking hint of depressing angst? Yes, smut.**

**AN4: I was still writing at 4am and I was scared my mom would complain about how late I was sleeping again and about electricity bills, so I put off updating this somehow. Yes, I'm scared of my mom, I'm 22 and she can fucking kick me out. Anyways, I was supposed to update with this chapter the day before. Turns out that I still had to edit it yesterday and couldn't go to the internet café. I was really in the zone on the last part of my editing.**

**AN5: I'm kind of surprised that I'm able to write this many words after two days. Some years before, I usually just stick to 1k+ and couldn't write anymore words no matter how much I try. _ Readers were like, 'this is so short yo' and I'm like 'that's all I can give, I have no more' and then they'd be like 'spit out more motherfucker' and I'd be like 'it is the last of my saliva I have none to spit on your face, you want fucking snot instead?'**

**AN6: It was bad of me to delete my headprompts on the last chapter. I kinda forgot what I was supposed to be writing in this chap. Lol. I don't really know what the fuck I'm writing in the long haul. To be honest I don't feel like doing the next chapter either because again, I don't know what the fuck I'm writing… I'm such a bum. And I smell food somewhere. It's calling me more than this draft is whining to be finished.**

**AN7: Note to self: If I ever finish this story, THAT'S A BIG FUCKING IF, delete all ANs and stupid headprompts. Because god, I'm rereading some of these long ass notes and they are so embarrassing. You sound like you're talking to yourself. I do that too much in my head already. Omg. Embarrass yourself more please.**

**AN8: I keep rereading my ANs and I just can't help replying to myself on another AN. Why do you keep making your fucking ANs into your personal venting grounds? It's like a whole other story. Wtf. I should stop. I'm sorry.**

**AN9: FUCKING HELL I AM LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS AGAIN REREADING MY AUTHORS NOTE AND I FOUND MYSELF EDITING AND REWRITING SOME OF IT. I CANNOT. OMG WHAT ARE YOU FUCKING DOING? YOUR NOTES ARE NOT YOUR STORY! YOUR AUTHORS NOTE IS MORE THAN EIGHT HUNDRED WORDS! WHY ARE YOU NOT JUST WRITING ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!**

**AN10: There's no better way to know you're crazy than when you start reprimanding yourself through a fucking author's note.**

**Tl;dr: YOLO BITCHES**

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**_Next time on Master Chef:_**

_Cora sighed, "I only wish for you to find someone to be with, dear heart."_

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_Words formed and scrambled, Yor Wish Es My Comandhe_

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_"The king will hear about this!" Daniel raged._


End file.
